Sailor Moon:Altered Destinies!
by shanejayell
Summary: ON HOLD! An Alternate Universe Fic! Sailor V! Sailor Moon! And A new Tuxedo Kamen! Chapters 1-4 new, and a new Outers fic!
1. Prelude One:Sailor V

Prelude One: Sailor V in London  
  
She bounded across the rooftops, leaping easily from roof to roof. The sailor suit hugged her form, a simple white mask hiding her eyes. "Why do they always pick dives like this one?" Sailor V asked crossly, looking out over the docks.  
  
Artemis dug his claws into the fabric of her shoulder pad carefully to hold on, "It's cheap, probably. And since it's in the bad part of London, I doubt the police check it often."  
  
Sailor V dropped down into a alley, and walked a few steps to a battered looking phone box. She set Artemis inside, "You know what to do?"  
  
Artemis used his paw to bat the phone off the hook. "I'll dial up the police with a noise complaint," he said patiently, "right after you go in."  
  
After giving a cheeky grin and the 'V' for victory sign, Sailor V was gone. She easily returned to the rooftops, gazing down through the different skylights to find the one that she wanted. It was dark inside, lit only by a single lightbulb, and she could see weapons being exchanged, and packets of drugs being received in return.  
  
"Looks like I'm just in time," Sailor V murmured. She took a few steps back, turned, ran at the skylight then leaped! She crashed through the glass, shattering it, and dropped down on to an old oak table, scattering the drugs and weapons on top of it.  
  
A moment of shock, then all the guns were pointed at her.  
  
"I suppose you gentlemen wouldn't consider surrendering?" Sailor V asked them cheerfully as she rose from her crouch.  
  
A loud 'K-Klick' as the safeties were taken off the guns.  
  
"Guess not," Sailor V smiled, tilting her head back so that the light gleamed off the lenses of her mask. A trigger was pulled, and she leapt at them...  
  
"And I suppose you didn't have anything at all to do with that anonymous phone call we received?" the young officer asked patiently not long after. Just behind them, his fellow officers led out the small mob of drug dealers and gun runners.  
  
"Of course not," Sailor V smiled at him cheerfully.  
  
He made a face, but decided not to push it. "Well, thank you," he sighed. "We've been trying to catch these guys in the act for weeks," he said.  
  
"I'm always glad to be of help," Sailor V grinned.  
  
A police car pulled in and the driver's door opened, letting a tall, brown haired woman out into the fog. The officer walked over, a little smile on her face. "Hello, Sailor V," Natsuna Sakurada said to her quietly.  
  
Sailor V gulped, suddenly a bit nervous. "Hello, Natsuna," she said quietly, suddenly feeling like a typical teenager. 'Do I look good?' she found herself thinking, suddenly tempted to check her skirt and top were still neat.  
  
The young man smiled, "I'll go help the others."  
  
"Looks like I'll have another newspaper article to add to my collection," Natsuna smiled at her. The older woman had a massive collection of articles about Sailor V, it had bothered her at first, but she eventually began to feel a bit complimented by it.  
  
She smiled, "I'm always glad to help." Sailor V looked down, avoiding the piercing gaze. 'She already knows who I am,' she thought, 'what would it hurt?'  
  
"And I'm... I mean, we're glad to have you around," Natsuna said warmly.  
  
Suddenly feeling nervous, Sailor V said, "It looks like you all have things well in hand. I'd better get going."  
  
She took a step, and Natsuna grasped her arm, "Wait." Sailor V turned, meeting those beautiful dark eyes that were looking into her own. "I wanted to thank you for your help personally. Would you like to meet me for dinner, later?" Natsuna asked, suddenly seeming nervous herself.  
  
Sailor V looked at her in surprise for a moment. "I've got to go," was all the answer she could give, pulling free of her grip and bounding away. Natsuna said something, but she didn't hear it as she ran. Down into the alley and she practically snatched Artemis, not even slowing down.  
  
"What's wrong?" Artemis asked her frantically, but just received silence in reply.  
  
  
  
"Wait a minute," Natsuna yelled, but Sailor V was gone, disappeared into the night. "Damn," she swore to herself softly.  
  
"What was that all about?" the same young officer said, looking clearly perplexed.  
  
"I'm heading back to the station," was the only reply Natsuna gave him. She strode back to her little car and climbed in. The engine started on the first try, and she was on her way.  
  
'Went too fast,' Natsuna thought grimly. 'She really is just a kid, only in her teens. Probably scared her half to death,' she worried. She peered out the window into the pea soup fog, once again wishing she was back home in Japan.  
  
'Though if I was in Japan right about now, I wouldn't have met her,' Natsuna smiled to herself a bit sadly.  
  
She arrived at the station and strode through the hallways to her office. She slammed the door shut behind her, and felt just a bit guilty at having taken her anger out on it. She looked at the far wall, and instantly felt just a bit better.  
  
The bulletin board was covered with newspaper clippings, all of them articles relating to London's mysterious heroine, Sailor V. Stories from when she had first appeared a little over a year ago to now, and mixed in were a few precious photographs of the young lady.  
  
They had been adversaries at first, mostly because of Natsuna. She had been worried about a teenager going out to fight gun toting maniacs, and she had even put an arrest order out to try and bring her in to talk about it. But she came to fascinate her, this brash blonde who seemed so much wiser than her years.  
  
They were forced to work together, and Natsuna's respect for her grew. She pulled the arrest order, instead instructing her officers to cooperate with her. Again and again they met, developing a fragile bond.  
  
'A bond I almost broke,' Natsuna admitted to herself, 'when I deduced who she really was." Minako Aino was so startled,. so scared by her appearance in her private life that Natsuna had vowed to her not to use that information again.  
  
She sighed softly, then Natsuna picked up her telephone and dialed the number from memory. "Haruna?" she asked quietly.  
  
Her sister yawned, and Natsuna realized that it might be somewhat later in Japan. "So how did it go?" Haruna asked, stifling another yawn.  
  
"Sorry for waking you," Natsuna started to say, only to have Haruna cut her off.  
  
"Hey, I want to hear what happened!" Haruna laughed softly.  
  
Natsuna smiled a bit in relief, settling back in her chair as she recounted what happened between herself and Sailor V. "So what do you think?" Natsuna asked.  
  
"I think you need to give her a bit of time," Haruna advised. "This may be the very first time she's had a woman express an interest in her," she said, "so she's probably trying to work it all out in her head." A pause, "So don't tell her you love her just yet."  
  
Natsuna sighed, "You may be right." She stopped, "And since when have I said that I love her?" They exchanged family news for a bit, and Haruna yawned softly again. "Sorry, I'll let you go," Natsuna laughed.  
  
"Let me know if anything happens," Haruna said, then they disconnected.  
  
Natsuna got up from her desk, looking out the window at the foggy London night. The option of moving back to Japan had come up a few times, but each time she had turned it down. 'How long do I wait for her?' Natsuna found herself wondering.  
  
A knock on the door, and Natsuna frowned as she called out, "Enter!"  
  
"They're all singing like canaries," the Lieutenant grinned at her. "I think we might be able to bring down the entire network if things keep going like this," he smiled.  
  
"Thanks to Sailor V's help," Natsuna said wryly.  
  
He winced, "Good point."  
  
  
  
Minako flopped down on her bed with a dramatic sigh. "I just don't know what to do," she sighed softly.  
  
Artemis curled up on the bed beside her, "It's not like she asked you on a date."  
  
"Close enough," Minako sighed. She sat up, her eyes wide as she whispered, "Or did I want her to ask me out?"  
  
'Bingo,' Artemis thought to himself. Aloud, "There's nothing wrong with that. Back in the Moon Kingdom, it wasn't even rare to have same sex couples."  
  
"It is trouble here, though," Minako shot back. She drew a shaking hand through her hair, "Not to mention how I feel around her."  
  
"Which is?" Artemis asked.  
  
"I like how she looks at me," Minako admitted, "and how good it feels when we work together." A sigh, "I even liked it when she was chasing me."  
  
Artemis considered the wisdom of asking the question, but decided to ask it anyway. Quietly, "Do you love her?"  
  
Minako looked at the white cat blankly for a moment. "I don't know," she admitted softly, then with more determination, "but I think I want to find out."  
  
Minako startled the cat by getting up off the bed, her long golden hair flowing around her. She raised the transformation wand, "Venus Power!" In a swirl of rainbow light she stood transformed into the heroine Sailor V.  
  
Artemis jumped to his feet, "Where to?"  
  
"Sorry, Artemis," Sailor V smiled at him, "but this is personal." She was out the window and gone in a single leap.  
  
"Good luck," Artemis whispered.  
  
Sailor V crossed the city on the rooftops, the moon's light visible above the low fog. She didn't let herself think about where she was going, just let her body carry her to where she needed to go, to who she needed to see.  
  
Natsuna always took the same route home from work, walking the fog covered streets. She saw her crossing the bridge and leapt down silently. She quietly made her way over, but something must have caught Natsuna's attention. The taller woman turned, looking at her in surprise.  
  
"I'm sorry," Sailor V said softly.  
  
  
  
Natsuna blinked, looking at her in surprise. 'Did she just saw what I thought she did?' she wondered. "No, I am," Natsuna said quietly.  
  
A smile in the darkness, then Sailor V quietly said, "I don't know why I ran away. I guess I just panicked a little."  
  
Natsuna noticed they were standing near the rail of the bridge. She leaned up against it, looking away from her at she said, "I didn't mean to scare you." Softly, she added, "I thought that where we were going was what you wanted too."  
  
"It was," Sailor V admitted to her quietly. She leaned up against the rail, looking out into the fog beside Natsuna.  
  
Natsuna tentatively laid her hand over Sailor V's, and was heartened when the girl didn't pull it away. "So what do we do now?" she asked her softly.  
  
Natsuna was a bit surprised when Sailor V reached up to take her mask off. Minako's blue eyes seemed to pierce Natsuna as she said, "I can't say I love you, yet." She smiled ruefully, "This is all way too new to me."  
  
"You said you couldn't, yet," Natsuna said wonderingly.  
  
Minako smiled at her shyly, gently raising Natsuna's hand to her lips, "Give me a little time."  
  
"I think I can manage that," Natsuna smiled at her.  
  
  
  
A few years later, a photo shoot in Tokyo, Japan. Natsuna watched Minako turn under the cameras, a world famous model and idol. She carried flowers, a gift in celebration of what they both thought of as their wedding anniversary.  
  
Minako's eyes lit up at the flowers, and she threw her arms around her lover. "Thank you," Minako whispered, and Natsuna shivered at the feeling of her breath on her ear.  
  
"I've got dinner reservations at our favorite restaurant," Natsuna smiled. She had also arranged for the night off, since being the Chief of the Tokyo police should come with some perks.  
  
Minako hesitated, "I've got good news and bad news."  
  
"Give me the bad news," Natsuna sighed.  
  
"Pessimist," Minako play batted her arm. "The good news is that you and I can have the night together," she took a breath, "and the bad news is that Artemis tells me that the Negaverse is rising once again."  
  
Natsuna's eyes narrowed, "I'll do whatever I can." The Negaverse had caused them a lot of trouble in London, and she didn't want to think about what it might do here.  
  
"Thank you," Minako smiled at her. "The other bright spot is that Artemis says there may be another Senshi out there to help me," she smiled.  
  
"I'm glad," Natsuna smiled in relief. It would be nice to have someone else to share the responsibility with for the protection of the world.  
  
Minako took the flowers and raised them to her face, breathing in the scent. "They're lovely," she sighed. She smiled at Natsuna, "You are getting your anniversary gift tonight."  
  
Natsuna smiled back at her, "And what would that be?"  
  
Minako leaned over and kissed her cheek, "Trust me, you can't wrap up what I'm going to be giving you."  
  
Natsuna blushed scarlet. 


	2. Prelude Two:Sailor Moon meets Sailor V

Prelude Two: Meetings- Sailor V and Sailor Moon  
  
Sailor V looked down in a certain amount of pity at the young girl who was cowering in the corner just below them. 'And now," she relayed to Artemis, "she's bawling."  
  
Sailor Moon began to cry loudly, and the gems in her hair pieces activated, a sudden wave of force driving the Negaverse controlled zombies backward for a moment.  
  
"Not bad," Artemis noted. He looked up at Minako adding, "You didn't do that much better when you started out."  
  
"I don't remember bawling," Sailor V said to him with as much dignity as she could muster.  
  
"Good point," Artemis acknowledged. The white cat frowned, "Shouldn't we go down there and save her?"  
  
"Probably," Sailor V sighed, but she hesitated. "She's going to have to be able to deal with this eventually," she mused, "or we're all in trouble." She frowned deeply in thought, then a slow smile appeared on her face.  
  
"I know that look," Artemis whimpered.  
  
Sailor V stood, letting the moon light her up and cast her shadow into the room below. Sailor Moon looked up and her eyes widened even as Sailor V loudly declared, "Don't give up, Sailor Moon, You can do this!"  
  
Sailor Moon clasped her hands in front of her, big hearts in her eyes as she cried out happily, "It's Sailor V!"  
  
"Looks like I have a fan," Sailor V smirked.  
  
"Don't let it go to your head," Artemis muttered.  
  
Sailor V just decided not to answer that, instead she jumped down to stand by Sailor Moon's side. She took the girl's hand in her own, and then gently pulled her up to her feet. "Are you all right?" she asked her.  
  
"I am now," Sailor Moon managed.  
  
"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Sailor V cried, using her beam to drive the zombies back again. "Oh no," she said dramatically, "my beam won't effect the leader!"  
  
"Ham," Artemis muttered.  
  
"Sailor Moon," Sailor V turned to her, "you must help me!"  
  
"But," Sailor Moon looked at her wide eyed, "I'm just..."  
  
"Please, Sailor Moon," Sailor V asked passionately. 'Come on, you can do this,' Sailor V urged her silently.  
  
The blond haired girl straightened up, her shoulders going back. Sailor Moon looked down at Luna, "Tell me what to do."  
  
"Hold your tiara in your hand, and say 'Moon Tiara Magic,' Sailor Moon," Luna quickly instructed her. The little black cat looked oddly at Sailor V and Artemis, muttering under her breath, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Moon Tiara Magic!" Sailor Moon cried out, and her tiara turned into a glowing disk, that she threw at the leader of the zombies. Engulfed in shining radiance, the creature crumbled to moon dust.  
  
"You did it, Sailor Moon," Luna smiled.  
  
"Thanks to Sailor V," Sailor Moon murmured, noticing that the heroine was gone. She looked around wildly, "Where did she go?"  
  
Sailor V stood in the window, smiling down at Sailor Moon fondly. "We will met again," she declared, and was gone into the night. "Sooner than you think," she murmured to Artemis as they bounded across the rooftops together.  
  
"So you still want to..." Artemis started.  
  
"I think so," Sailor V said with a smile. She suddenly laughed softly, "I can't wait to see the look on her face!"  
  
"I'd still like to know who phoned you to let you know she was in trouble," Artemis mused.  
  
Sailor V thought of the mysterious Senshi she had met in London, and just smiled.  
Usagi Tsukino put her head on her desk tiredly.  
  
"I had a dream last night that I was rescued by a beautiful warrior," one girl exclaimed.  
  
"No way," Naru gasped, "I had the very same dream."  
  
Usagi looked up at them tiredly, "I didn't get much sleep last night. Could you keep it down, I'm gonna have a nap."  
  
There was a disturbance at the front of the classroom, and they could see Ms. Haruna talking to a police officer. They actually looked alike as they bent their heads together, talking intensely. Ms. Haruna frowned, speaking softly, then she finally nodded slowly.  
  
"Usagi?" Ms. Haruna called.  
  
Quite reluctantly Usagi made her way to the front of the class. The police officer smiled, like she was greatly amused by something. "Yes, Ms. Haruna?" Usagi asked.  
  
Throwing the police officer a frown, Ms. Haruna said, "You need to go with her. She promised me," and with that she glared at the officer, "that you're not in trouble."  
  
The brown hared police officer smiled at Usagi, "Don't worry, I'll try to have you back before your classes end."  
  
'Miss classes for the day?' Usagi thought with a smile. "Sure, I'd be glad to go," she said, going back to get her schoolbag.  
  
The woman led her outside, to a quite official looking squad car. Usagi moved to get in the back, but with a smile the officer said, "You can ride in the passenger's side."  
  
"Wow," Usagi murmured, looking at the dashboard covered with electronics. The car smoothly slid out into traffic, the officer driving expertly. "So, what did you want to see me about?" Usagi asked, feeling just a bit nervous.  
  
She kept her eyes focused on the road as the officer said, "We just wanted to talk to you about what happened last night."  
  
Usagi's eyes got very wide as she squeaked out, "What happened last night?" She shook her head, trying to sound innocent, "I'm not sure what you're talking about."  
  
The officer actually chuckled softly as they pulled to a stop in front of a residence in the middle of town. She got out, then opened Usagi's door with a smile, "Come with me." She took her police hat off, and strangely looked much friendlier as she led Usagi to the door.  
  
She rang the doorbell, and it was quickly answered. The woman who opened the door was gorgeous, but she frowned when she saw Usagi's worried expression. "Natsuna, what have you been telling her?" she demanded.  
  
"Nothing, Minako," Natsuna defended herself, "just that we wanted to talk to her."  
  
From around the blonde haired women's legs a white cat stuck it's head out. "Is Luna with you?" Artemis asked curiously.  
  
Usagi's eyes went wide as she looked at Minako in shock. "Sailor V?" she asked softly.  
  
Minako smoothly drew the white mask from her pocket, setting it in front of her eyes for a moment in confirmation.  
  
Usagi swayed for a moment, then she bonelessly fell backward. She was lucky Natsuna was standing right behind her, or she might have been hurt. "Got her," Natsuna picked her up and carried her inside to a couch.  
  
"Guess the last day or so, plus the surprise were a bit too much for her," Minako sighed, kneeling down beside the blonde girl.  
  
"I shouldn't have had so much fun with this," Natsuna sighed.  
  
There was a rustling, and both of them turned to see Usagi's schoolbag moving around under it's own power. Finally, Luna jumped out of the bag, hissing and spitting angrily at all three of them, but especially at Minako.  
  
Once she calmed down enough to speak, Luna snarled out, "I would have thought that the commander of the Senshi would have had more sense." She paused, "We weren't even supposed to meet this soon, I haven't even had a chance to train her."  
  
"Sorry, Luna," Artemis walked over to her cautiously as he continued, "but the circumstances have changed."  
  
The two cats circled each other cautiously, tails twitching. "What do you mean?' Luna asked. She frowned at Natsuna, "And who, exactly, is this?"  
  
There was a soft groan, and they turned to see Usagi stirring on the couch. Suddenly, her eyes popped open and she sat up, "Sailor V?!"  
  
"Guilty," Minako smiled, reaching over to steady Usagi, "are you all right?"  
  
"I think so," Usagi managed, looking around her in surprise. She noticed Natsuna standing nearby, "I thought those stories that you worked for the police were just a rumor."  
  
"Work with," Natsuna smiled, "not for." She sat down in a chair nearby Usagi, "I'm sorry for letting you be surprised like that."  
  
Usagi sighed softly, looking around her curiously. "Who are you?" she asked plaintively.  
  
"Minako Aino," Minako smiled and bowed, then she waved, "Natsuna Sakurada, and the cat's name is Artemis."  
  
"What did you mean," Luna said crossly, "the situation has changed?"  
  
Artemis took up that question, "The Negaverse is back, and they somehow were able to launch a pre-emptive strike."  
  
"The Senshi?" Luna asked softly.  
  
"Physically, they're all right," Minako quickly reassured her, "but somehow their powers have been blocked off."  
  
"And you know this how?" Luna asked suspiciously.  
  
Minako sighed softly. 'What do I say, I got a phone call from a mysterious, but very reliable source? I'm so sure she'll buy that,' she thought ruefully. "You'll just have to trust me on that," is what she decided to say.  
  
"Of course we'll trust you," Usagi beamed at her happily. Luna sighed softly.  
  
Natsuna put her police hat back on, squaring her shoulders. "I've got to get back to work," she said as she walked to the door. She paused to kiss Minako on the cheek, then smiled, "It's been nice to meet you, Usagi." With that, she was gone.  
  
"Is she... trustworthy?" Luna finally had to ask.  
  
Minako smiled, "I'd trust her with my life." A pause, and softly she added, "I've already trusted her with my heart." She turned to see Luna blush a bit, and Usagi looking like she had missed something. 'I'll tell her later,' Minako decided.  
  
"So we're the only ones fighting against the Negaverse?" Usagi asked quietly.  
  
Minako could see that it scared Usagi, that idea. In her, it was merely exciting. "I'm glad to have your help," Minako smiled at her gently, "and we're not alone. Luna, Artemis and Natsuna will do all they can, I'm sure."  
  
"And we don't know if the Senshi will stay blocked," Artemis volunteered. "I doubt that the Negaverse can keep them sealed up forever," he said confidently.  
  
"But we can't rely on that," Usagi said thoughtfuly. She got up to stand by Minako's side, smiling up at her bravely as she said, "I'll do all I can."  
  
'She's sharper than she looks,' Minako thought with a smile. "I'm sure you'll do your best," she said, not adding, 'I just hope it's enough.' 


	3. Prelude three: Sailor Moon meets Ami Miz...

Prelude Three: Meetings- Sailor Moon + Ami Mizuno  
  
Ami struggled to get free of the grip on her head, even as the creature scowled down at her. "Why can't I drain your energy?" she complained bitterly. She casually tossed Ami aside, "You're no use to me."  
  
Ami watched the creature attacking Sailor Moon, flinging paper sharpened like blades at the young heroine. 'I've got to help her,' she looked around her wildly.  
  
"I hate tests," Sailor Moon wailed, sprawling to dodge yet another attack.  
  
"Get up," Luna urged her.  
  
"Eeep!" Sailor Moon barely ducked another sheet. "I'm a little busy just dodging," she scowled at Luna.  
  
Ami sighed softly even as she thought, 'I can't believe I'm doing this.' With a mighty swing she brought the computer keyboard down on the transformed teacher's head, sending her crashing to the ground. "Now Sailor Moon," Ami cried.  
  
"Moon Tiara Magic!" Sailor Moon cried out, hurling her tiara at the stunned villainess. In a flash of light, she was a pile of moon dust. Sailor Moon returned her tiara to it's rightful place and smiled at Ami, "Nicely done."  
  
"Have we met before?" Ami peered at Sailor Moon and Luna thoughtfully, "You both look sort of familiar, somehow."  
  
"No, no, sorry, I must have that kind of face," Sailor Moon sweatdropped, bolting from the room at top speed.  
  
Ami watched her go, shaking her head. She guided the recovered students outside, then considered calling her mother for a ride home.  
  
"Ami," Usagi cried, running down the sidewalk towards her. She tripped on a crack in the pavement, skinning her knees and breaking out in tears, "Whaa!"  
  
Ami just had to smile, "Are you all right?" She took Usagi's elbow, gently pulling her up to her feet when the light hit the blonde girl's face just right. It was like a revelation struck her. 'She's Sailor Moon,' Ami looked at her in shock.  
  
"I'm all right," Usagi brushed off her legs mournfully. She noticed Ami's odd expression, "What's wrong? Did I get something on my face?"  
  
"No, I just got distracted," Ami blushed.  
  
Usagi and Ami talked for a while, even as she looked at her and wondered how she could be so very sure. But she was, somehow. Even stranger, once they split up, Ami felt compelled to follow her. She saw Usagi walk for a bit, then a sports car pulled up. A woman who was so attractive she had to be a model opened the passenger side door, Usagi climbed in, and they were gone.  
  
"Curiouser and curiouser," Ami murmured.  
  
Minako smiled across the seat at Usagi, "Not bad." She drove with skill, part of her attention on the road, the rest on her passenger, "But I'd like to see what else we can do with your tiara. I don't like the fact that once you throw it, you're defenseless."  
  
Usagi looked over at her in surprise, "You saw?"  
  
"I was watching from outside, just in case," Minako shrugged. She frowned, "I'll let you and Luna into the house, then I have to go pick up Natsuna. We'll be right back, OK?"  
  
"That's fine," Usagi smiled. Minako smoothly pulled in front of the house, got out, and led Usagi to the door.  
  
"Is Artemis home?" Luna asked suddenly, her tail flicking back and forth.  
  
"Yes," Minako looked over at Luna thoughtfully. She unlocked the door and Artemis greeted Luna happily, the two walking off together, tails swaying. "What's with them?" Minako frowned.  
  
Usagi shrugged, "She's been twitchy all day." Minako took off, and Usagi settled down on the couch to wait.  
  
Natsuna came down the steps of the police station and smiled on seeing Minako waiting there. "Thanks, love," Natsuna bent over to give her a gentle kiss.  
  
A group of passing officers hooted and howled, and Minako yelled good naturedly, "Don't you have anything better to do?"  
  
They drove home talking quietly. "So has Usagi figured out yet that we're more than just friends?" Natsuna asked.  
  
Minako shrugged, "I'm not sure." A soft sigh, "And I'm not entirely sure if I should just tell her or not."  
  
"She's a good kid," Natsuna noted even as they pulled in front of their house.  
  
Minako pulled the front door open, and froze. "Do you hear that?" she asked.  
  
Muffled, as if the voices had passed through several closed doors, "Yes! Yes! Oh, harder, harder!"  
  
Minako and Natsuna looked at each other, wide eyed. "You don't think she found a naughty videotape, or something?" Natsuna asked.  
  
"We'd better find out," Minako sighed. They headed for the living room, where they found a very uncomfortable looking Usagi sitting on the couch, blushing furiously.  
  
'Whew, at least the VCR is off,' Natsuna thought, feeling a bit relieved. "What is that?" she asked aloud.  
  
"They're in there," Usagi pointed to the next room. Minako thought that if Usagi blushed any harder, she'd probably faint.  
  
Minako opened the door, Natsuna looking over her shoulder, then just as quickly shut it. "Luna and Artemis?" she squeaked.  
  
Natsuna had an odd look on her face as she slowly said, "I guess Moon Kingdom cats can go into heat, too."  
  
"Could we go for a walk or something?" Usagi asked faintly, even as they could hear the two cats starting up again.  
  
"Good idea," Minako, also a bit pale, agreed.  
  
It was warm, the summer sun beating down on them. Natsuna looked over at Usagi and asked gently, "Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm sorry, I..." Usagi started to say.  
  
"I didn't know they would do that," Minako was blushing, "so I don't see how you could have." She laughed softly, "I wonder how long they'll be at it?"  
  
Natsuna shook her head, "Well, if they're not done by the time we get back, I'll dump cold water on them."  
  
Usagi had to smile at that mental image.  
  
"There's something I wanted to tell you," Minako smiled at her, "about me and Natsuna."  
  
"You're lovers," Usagi shrugged. Both Minako and Natsuna stopped cold. Usagi looked at them, "What? It's not that hard to tell."  
  
Natsuna chuckled softly, and Minako made a mental note to try not to underestimate Usagi again. "You're taking it well," Natsuna teased her gently.  
  
"And I was worried," Minako sighed.  
  
"You two look happy together," Usagi blushed, "and that's the only important thing."  
  
'She really is wiser than she seems,' Natsuna thought.  
  
"Have you two been to the Crown before?" Usagi asked. She sighed, "There's the cutest guy working there, Andrew."  
  
'On the other hand, she's still a teenager,' Natsuna grinned. "Let's go then," she laughed.  
  
"You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream," Minako and Usagi sang together. 


	4. Prelude Four: Usagi Meets Makoto Kino

Prelude Four: Meetings- Sailor Moon + Makoto Kino  
  
Usagi leaned up against the wall, looking at the three young men who were menacing her. 'As Sailor Moon I could do this easily,' she thought, 'but that would ruin my secret identity.' One young man reached for her, and she cringed.  
  
"Leave her alone," a voice commanded.  
  
Usagi looked up to see a tall, brown haired girl standing there. She was obviously athletic, and she also filled out her dress wonderfully.  
  
"Mind your own business," another boy snarled.  
  
A cool smile, "You obviously don't know how to treat a lady."  
  
The three young men charged the taller girl, and Usagi closed her eyes, not wanting to see her being hurt. She heard the sounds of a scuffle, and peeked out to see the boys fleeing down the alley, all bruised and battered. "Wow," she murmured softly.  
  
The brown haired woman watched them run with a smile on her face. She turned to meet Usagi's eyes, asking her, "Are you all right?"  
  
"Yes," Usagi was wide eyed, deeply impressed by this amazon.  
  
"Good," she answered her simply, and then she turned to walk away with her long skirt blowing in the breeze.  
  
'Who is that woman?' Usagi thought, looking at her in awe.  
  
Naru and Umico were talking as Usagi arrived at school. "Did you hear?" Umico asked, pushing his glasses up so they caught the light.  
  
"Heard what?" Usagi tried to sound bored with him, but she knew that Umico knew all the good gossip.  
  
"There's a new transfer student who got thrown out of her old school for fighting," Umico reported to them cheerfully.  
  
"Really?" a surprised Naru asked.  
  
Usagi quickly asked him, "Who is it?" even as she remembered her rescuer from this morning. 'Could it be her?' she wondered.  
  
"Makoto Kino," he reported, flipping open his notebook and reciting her vital statistics. "Be careful, Usagi," he cautioned her, "people say she's dangerous."  
  
"Good morning, Usagi," Ami smiled, walking up to them. She gave Naru and Umico a nod, then gaze Usagi a piercing gaze, "Where's Luna?"  
  
'She's really beginning to suspect something,' Usagi thought even as she answered, "I guess she's still at home."  
  
"Did you hear about the new student?" Naru asked her eagerly. Once Naru got Ami's full attention, Usagi gracefully slipped away. Well, she did bump into a wall on the way out, but it was mostly gracefully.  
  
'I wish I could tell her,' Usagi thought, 'but Minako thinks it would be a bad idea.' She sighed, 'And she's probably right.'  
  
Usagi fidgeted through her morning classes, waiting eagerly for lunch time. Finally, it was time and she cleaned her bento box up in moments. 'Ahh, that was good,' Usagi sighed happily. 'Thank you, mom,' she thought.  
  
She went out into the courtyard, and noticed a group of students talking together. "There she is," one whispered, another answered, "I heard she's violent."  
  
Usagi got closer, and saw that they were talking about her rescuer. Makoto leaned up against the tree, her arms behind her head as she gazed defiantly around her. The boys and girls kept their distance, treating her with caution.  
  
Usagi boldly made her way over, flopping down beside the taller girl. She gazed at the surprised girl's lunch admiringly, "Your bento looks yummy."  
  
Makoto was looking at her in shock, blurting out, "You're not afraid of me?"  
  
Usagi blinked, "Why?"  
  
A slow smile appeared on Makoto's face. "Do you want a rice ball?" she asked her.  
  
"Please!" Usagi said happily. She munched like an innocent child, with pure, undisguised enjoyment. "Thank you for this morning, by the way," Usagi said around a mouthful.  
  
"Creeps like that," Makoto shrugged, "are no problem." She smiled, watching Usagi eat as she consumed her own bento a bit more slowly. They talked quietly, the lunch hour passing by quickly as they became friends.  
  
"Would you like to walk home with me?" Usagi offered cheerfully.  
  
"I'd be glad to," Makoto smiled, and they separated to return to class.  
Ami frowned thoughtfully as she walked home from school. 'I suppose I shouldn't tease Usagi,' she thought, then grinned, 'but it's so fun.'  
  
She had deduced Sailor Moon's identity almost instantly, but she couldn't quite decide how to tell Usagi. It wasn't the sort of conversation she had considered having with the girl before, even though they were becoming friends.  
  
A shape flicked at the corner of her eye, and she saw a little black cat keeping pace with her along a nearby wall. "Hello, Luna," Ami smiled.  
  
The cat hesitated, the it jumped into her arms, "Meow!"  
  
Ami nearly laughed as she said conversationally, "Did you know, Sailor Moon has a little black cat like you?"  
  
Luna froze for a moment, then "Meow?"  
  
Ami scratched between the cast's ears, bringing a soft purr up, even as she said with a chuckle, "Don't try to sound innocent."  
  
"Hey, Ami!" she heard the call, and looked up to see Usagi coming.  
  
Walking beside her was a taller girl, with brown hair tied back in a pony tail. She looked clearly fit, bursting with vitality. And she had the greenest eyes Ami had ever seen.  
  
"Makoto," Usagi smiled cheerfully, "this is my friend Ami. The lazy cat she's holding," she added with a wicked smile, "is my pet, Luna."  
  
Ami looked at the taller girl, her eyes wide.  
  
"Nice to meet you," Makoto smiled. She bent forward, their faces almost touching as she scratched Luna under the chin, murmuring, "What a pretty kitty."  
  
Usagi looked at the two girl's, Ami almost struck dumb, and just had to smile. "Let's all go to the Crown together," she suggested.  
  
Ami shook of her blush, stuttering, "Yes."  
"I almost thought I was going to have to save Usagi," Minako laughed as she and Natsuna sat talking on the couch.  
  
"Quite the coincidence, this Makoto saving her," Natsuna smiled.  
  
"No coincidence," Minako shook her head, "she's another Senshi."  
  
"That's three counting you," Natsuna said thoughtfully, "and you've all met Usagi." She paused, then asked, "Why is that?"  
  
"We're drawn to her, I think," Minako said. She smiled, "Now we just need to find the last of the Inners."  
  
"Inners?" Natsuna asked.  
  
"The Inner planets," Minako explained.  
  
Natsuna sat up, "Does that mean there are Senshi of the outer planets, too?"  
  
Minako just smiled mysteriously. 


	5. Prelude Five: The Night of the Concert

Sailor Moon: Altered Destinies Series  
  
Prelude Five: The Night of the Concert  
  
Queen Beryl paced the throne room restlessly, wondering how things could have gone so very wrong for them. 'There are only two Senshi battling against us,' she seethed to herself, 'and we are an army!' But each plot, each strategy to gain the energy of the Earthers was thwarted, their emissaries utterly destroyed.  
  
I need energy, Beryl the Negaforce hissed from it's chamber.  
  
"I'm doing all that I can," Beryl answered, "great Negaforce. But the Senshi..."  
  
You are a fool, Beryl the Negaforce roared, I have given you all the advantages, but you have failed me again and again.  
  
"Great Negaforce," Beryl was clearly working to keep her temper in check as she said, "it's not quite that simple.."  
  
She trailed off, frowning, hearing a disturbance of some kind out in the hallway. The massive door suddenly exploded inwards, and Beryl gasped in surprise, seeing Sailor Moon and Sailor V standing there in the rubble.  
  
"Go, Sailor Moon," Sailor V said shortly. She ran towards the Negaforce chamber, while Sailor Moon ran at Beryl.  
  
"Moon Tiara Magic," Sailor Moon cried, her tiara glowing brightly as it extended outward. In a moment she held a sword, pointing it right at Beryl.  
  
"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Sailor V cried out, placing two fingers on the vessel and blasting the Negaforce chamber at point blank range.  
  
"NO," Beryl cried out, but she was prevented from moving forward by the sword held threateningly in front of her.  
  
"Venus Love-Me Chain," Sailor V cried out, using her links of chain to bind the cloud of dark power, it's howls of pain echoing throughout the room. It moments, the Negaforce had completely dissipated, fading away to nothing.  
  
"Please give up, Beryl," Sailor Moon said to her softly. She smiled at her encouragingly, "With the Negaforce gone, you're free to make new choices!" More quietly, "You don't have to fight against us anymore."  
  
The redhead hesitated, seemingly taking a moment to weigh the words. Suddenly, she lunged at Sailor Moon, hands extended claw-like.  
  
"Look out, Sailor Moon," Sailor V cried.  
  
Reflexedly, Sailor Moon swung down, her blade shining. A flash of light, and Beryl stood there frozen like a statue. She crumbled, ash blowing away on a slight draft, even as Sailor Moon looked at her in shock.  
"I killed her," Usagi whimpered softly, her eyes red with tears. She was sitting on Minako and Natsuna's couch, not long after their escape from the Negaverse.  
  
'I should have prepared her for this,' Minako thought to herself sadly, 'I know it's never easy, killing something that looked so utterly human.' Softly, she said aloud, "She didn't give you a choice, Usagi."  
  
"You did what you had to do, Usagi," Luna said softly. The little cat had gotten a lot bigger as her pregnancy had progressed, and she had to be careful how she moved.  
  
"She's right, Usagi," Artemis backed her up loyally. He got a glare from Luna, and decided to keep his mouth shut.  
  
"She was human," Usagi sighed softly, "and I killed her."  
  
"I know," Natsuna said. She sat down on the couch, putting her arm across the smaller girl's shoulders. "It's not an easy thing, to take a life. But you have to think of the lives you may have saved, all the people she and the Negaforce wanted to hurt," she said softly.  
  
Usagi closed her eyes, but she nodded reluctantly.  
  
'Nicely done,' Minako thought, looking at her lover in admiration. They all stood there a few moments silently, before she finally ventured, "Are you going to be all right, Usagi?"  
  
Usagi looked up, meeting her gaze with those piercing blue eyes. "I will be," she sighed.  
  
"Do you need a ride home?" Natsuna offered her softly.  
  
Usagi nodded, "I promised Ami and Makoto I'd go to the school concert with them tonight." She brightened slightly, "Makoto's bringing the snacks."  
  
Luna had to fight down a laugh. "If you don't mind, I think I'll stay here," she said. Ruefully, "I'm not really up to car rides right now."  
  
Not long after, and Natsuna pulled up near Usagi's home to let the blonde girl out. Ami grabbed Makoto, pulling her into an alley nearby, "Don't let her see us."  
  
"Why?" Makoto asked, surprised.  
  
"Usagi's been trying to keep her and another friend secret," Ami explained cheerfully.  
  
"And you know this how?" Makoto asked.  
  
"Usagi isn't very good at keeping secrets," Ami laughed. She paused, "Let's give her a few moments, then we'll go over to meet her like we planned."  
  
Makoto reached over to take Ami's hand, and the other girl blushed faintly. "Thanks for inviting me along tonight," she said quietly.  
  
Ami smiled up at her sunnily, "It was my pleasure." They stood there a few moments, each lost in each others eyes.  
  
"We'd better go see Usagi," Makoto said quietly.  
  
'She is so clueless,' Ami thought with a sigh. "You're probably right," she admitted aloud. They walked over together, and Makoto rang the doorbell.  
  
"Coming," they heard from inside, and Usagi threw the door open cheerfully. "Hi guys," she smiled, dressed in a simple white dress.  
  
"Ready to go?" Makoto asked. She hefted a large box, "I packed bento for all of us."  
  
Usagi's eyes glowed happily, "Thank you!"  
  
They walked together, enjoying the evening, and Usagi noticed something. Ami, whenever she could, reached out to take Makoto's hand, the taller girl clasping it in her own. They tried to be subtle, but Usagi thought it was cute.  
  
Somebody else noticed, too. Haruka walked the three walk by them, pushing her sandy blonde hair back. Michiru stood beside her, the green haired girl holding her arm. "They certainly are cute together," Michiru smiled.  
  
"I suppose so," Haruka said, but it was obvious that she was a bit distracted. "Do you think Setsuna's right, that the other inner will be revealed today?" she asked.  
  
"She's been right so far," Michiru nodded.  
  
"Indeed," Setsuna walked up to them, giving Haruka a mildly scolding look. "Let's grab our seats, before the concert starts," she suggested.  
  
The three of them settled down, and not long after, the show began. The first few performers were good, nothing special, but good.  
  
"I'm bored," Usagi said plaintively, "can we eat soon?"  
  
"Shhh," Ami shushed her as the announcer stepped up.  
  
"Our next performer wishes to remain anonymous," he smiled, "so please give a warm welcome to the Masked Maiden."  
  
She walked out, dressed in a simple black dress, and stepped up behind a synthesizer keyboard. Her eyes were hidden by a small mask and her voice was quiet as she smiled, "This song is dedicated to the one that I haven't found yet." She began to play a soft introduction, and then she began to sing:  
  
Deep in my soul, love so strong, it takes control, Now we both know, the secret's bared, the feelings show, Driven far apart, I make a wish on a shooting star,  
  
Usagi shivered, the masked figure's gaze lingering on her. 'It almost feels like I know her,' she thought, 'but I've never seen her before!'  
  
There will come a day, somewhere far away, In your arms I'll stay, my only love, Even though you're gone, love will still live on, the feeling is so strong, my only love, my only love.  
  
Setsuna blew out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. "That's her," she whispered to Haruka and Michiru, "that's the fifth Inner."  
  
There will come a day, somewhere far away, In your arms I'll stay, my only love, You've reached the deepest part, of the secret in my heart, Known it from the start, My only love, My only love...  
  
Natsuna put her arm over Minako's shoulder, for now not caring if they drew any attention. "I'm glad we decided to go," she said to Minako quietly.  
  
"Me, too," Minako admitted, laying her head on Natsuna's shoulder. A few moments later, and they slipped away.  
  
Makoto turned to Ami, and was surprised by a gentle brushing of lips. "Sorry," Ami smiled, "but you weren't getting the hint any other way."  
  
Makoto went red, but she bent forward to kiss Ami back.  
  
The Masked Maiden strode off the stage, the crowd's cheers ringing out behind her. Ignoring the congratulations of the other performers she slipped away into the shadows. A hand pulled the mask off, and she blew a breath out nervously.  
  
"Who was that blonde girl?" Rei Hino asked herself softly.  
  
To be continued in... The Secret of Tuxedo Kamen!  
  
Author's Note: Yes, "My Only Love" is my favorite tune from the English dub. This is the end of the preludes, and now I have to decide if I want to do any sequels to "Altered Destinies." Let me know what you think! 


	6. The Secret of Tuxedo Kamen! Chapter One

Sailor Moon: The Secret of Tuxedo Kamen!  
  
  
  
A world very much like the one we knew, where a few small changes in the events of the past created entirely new pathways. A young heroine didn't run away from the love of an older woman. A dark power awakened early enough to block the rise of the champions of light. And a prince and defender are reborn in a most unusual and unexpected form.  
  
  
  
Usagi did a double take when she saw the newspaper, then picked it up eagerly. "Masked Hero!" the banner headline read, and below it the article described the first public appearance of a new costumed adventurer. Apparently, he was called Tuxedo Kamen, but there was only a blurred photo of the dark haired figure. He had helped prevent a robbery, and recovered a stolen gemstone called the Imperial Diamond.  
  
'Why does that sound so familiar?' Usagi wondered to herself. She shook her head and smiled broadly. 'Oh, well, at least there's another costumed hero around. I almost thought it'd just be me and Sailor V forever!' Usagi thought, relieved. She bought the paper, and read on avidly, but there seemed to be no other information on this Tuxedo Kamen. She sighed and opened up the comics page.  
  
After the day's classes, Usagi waved 'bye to Naru, Ami and Makoto and rushed over to her weekly meeting with Minako. She made her way to the up- town apartment, and knocked lightly on the front door. Usagi had only met Sailor V a few months ago, she a young heroine, her the seasoned adventurer, and they had both instantly known the other to be a champion of the moon kingdom. But somehow, they were the only ones. The other senshi they hadn't been able to awaken, and neither they nor their guardian cats entirely knew why. Newspaper in hand, Usagi hoped the story might cheer her intense idol up.  
  
Sakurada Natsuna, Minako's friend, opened the door and smiled warmly to Usagi as she left for work. "Have a good day," Usagi wished her cheerfully. Natsuna and Minako lived together in the large apartment, and Natsuna had become an invaluable contact for them within the Tokyo police department. Other than that, Usagi had decided it wasn't her business. "Minako?" Usagi cried.  
  
"In here," the young woman answered. Minako stepped around the corner smiling at Usagi like an older sister. Understandable, Usagi supposed, Minako was in her early twenties, nearly eight years older than her. "So what's new?" Minako asked, gesturing Usagi to a comfy chair. She sat down across from Usagi, and Artemis jumped up on the chair beside her, followed at a much slower pace by the very pregnant Luna. The normally slim black cat was obviously round, and seemed to be bigger than the last time Usagi had seen her.  
  
"How are you, Luna?" Usagi asked the cat cheerfully, and Luna just shot her a glare. Luna hadn't taken to her oncoming motherhood very well at all. Artemis just looked embarrassed.  
  
"Do you have anything to report?" Luna asked Usagi crabbily. She tried to settle down on a cushion they had set out for her by the couch. Luna was too big to climb up on the chairs, another thing she strongly resented.  
  
"We may have an ally," Usagi said eagerly, passing the newspaper over. Minako read quickly, an odd expression on her face. She slowly put the paper down and leaned back, lost in thought. "What's wrong?" Usagi asked worriedly.  
  
"The negative forces," Minako began, "have always tried to guarantee their victory, and by whatever means needed. We both know they blocked the awakening of Ami and Makoto, but they also sought out and killed the generals and heroes of the moon kingdom, men like this Tuxedo Mask." She shook her head, "Endymion was critically injured before I could reach him, and I think he was the last."  
  
Minako remembered the attack vividly, the handsome young man struck down by an agent of the negaverse without any warning or provocation. She had held the dying boy gently in her arms, as he gasped out "Please, protect her... protect her..." and was gone. It wasn't until she had met Sailor Moon that Minako had at last understood his last request.  
  
"So, is this Tuxedo Kamen an enemy?" Usagi asked them worriedly.  
  
"Maybe not," Minako said thoughtfully. "The champion's spirit may have passed to a new host," she said.  
  
"It's certainly possible," Artemis agreed. He looked cautiously over at Luna and asked, "What do you think, Luna?"  
  
"Ooohg," Luna groaned, then got an odd look on her feline face. "I think I feel another case of morning sickness coming on," she said, heaved herself back up to her feet, and wobbled off, Artemis following her anxiously.  
  
Usagi and Minako exchanged amused glances. "Still, I wonder who Tuxedo Kamen could be?" Usagi wondered aloud.  
  
  
  
At a Shinto shrine on the outskirts of the city of Tokyo, Rei Hino suddenly and without warning, sneezed loudly.  
  
"Are you all right, Rei?" her surprised grandfather asked.  
  
"I think so," Rei answered, blinking bemusedly.  
  
"Then maybe that short hair is giving you a cold!" he snapped. He continued to sweep with a furious energy.  
  
Rei sighed softly and just kept on sweeping. She couldn't blame him for being angry with her, when she couldn't explain the new hair cut to him. Of course, she didn't know where or when she got it cut either! These memory gaps she was having lately were really beginning to worry her. She was losing several hours out of each day, and she couldn't remember what had happened.  
  
And the odd dreams she was having! Every night, dreaming of a woman in white, pleading for her help in a scene from what looked like ancient Rome! But not quite, as she could often see the planet Earth itself, hanging in the distance. She could never see the woman's face, or understand what she wanted. All Rei really knew was, she was very, very confused.  
  
And to make matters worse, there was a school group coming through tomorrow, so the shrine had to be extra clean. They hadn't had an assistant since Jad had suddenly spontaneously combusted, so it was just she and Grandpa cleaning away.  
  
'My life sucks,' Rei thought to herself with a sigh.  
  
  
  
"My life sucks," Usagi complained bitterly as the bus stopped outside the shrine. She looked up the long stairway up to the shrine itself, and groaned softly.  
  
Makoto chuckled softly at the look on her face and told Usagi, "I'll give you a cookie when we reach the top."  
  
"Do you really think you can bribe me with food?" Usagi protested indignantly.  
  
Makoto just grinned, "Yup."  
  
Usagi looked thoughtful, "You're right. Come on everybody, last one up's a rotten egg!" Usagi cried, and galloped up the stairs.  
  
Ami smiled and shook her head as she walked up with Makoto at a more reasonable pace. "Remind me again, why are we friends with her?"  
  
"Who else can get you away from your books for a while?" Makoto gently teased her. "Or get me out of trouble. Besides, we never would have met without her," Makoto said, subtly taking Ami's arm. The blue haired girl blushed softly. They had both been outcasts, the brain and the brawler, when Usagi had met them. Ami still didn't know why Usagi had decided to bring them into her life, but she was glad Usagi did.  
  
Usagi charged up the stairs, only to come to a sudden and painful stop as she ran right into someone! The dark haired girl and Usagi sprawled on the stone walkway, Usagi in her lap. The dark haired girl growled, and Usagi started to cry.  
  
"Watch where you're going!" Rei growled, picking herself up and dusting the seat of her pants off.  
  
Usagi sniffled, "I'm sorry, I didn't see you!"  
  
"That's because you were running," Rei grumbled. She looked Usagi over, and asked "Who are you, anyway?"  
  
"Usagi, Miss Grouch," Usagi answered.  
  
"That's Rei Hino, Meatball Head" Rei corrected. She saw the other students coming up, and Ami and Makoto rushed over to help Usagi up.  
  
"Don't call me that!" Usagi said.  
  
"Why not? It's a perfect description," Rei answered. Usagi stuck her tongue out at her, and Rei smirked. As Grandpa came up the walk, Rei smiled sweetly and turned to start the tour. Grandpa, the old lecher, was instantly helping the ladies, but Usagi and her friends put him off gently but firmly. As the tour continued, Rei began to notice an odd feeling, when she was around Usagi. Almost as if she recognized her from long ago.  
  
  
  
From out of the clouds it descended, a delicate flower. Buffeted by winds, it fell unerringly towards its target. It touched the upper branches of the cherry tree and seemed to slide down inside the plant itself. The tree pulsed and flared with an odd, new kind of life as strange energies flowed through it.  
  
Rei and Usagi both felt it at the same time: for Rei, it was the spirit of the place crying out in distress, for Usagi, it was that itch she got on the back of her neck whenever there was trouble. Either way, they both soon narrowed in on the tree.  
  
"Rei," Usagi asked quietly, as the entire cherry tree began to move, "is it supposed to do that?"  
  
"No way," Rei answered, as the tree began to pull up out of the ground on it's own.  
  
"That's what I thought," Usagi sighed to herself. She stood up straight, and somehow took on an air of authority. "Ami, Makoto, we'd better get everybody out of here! Rei, what's the fastest way out?"  
  
"This way," Rei said, gesturing. 'What happened to the crybaby I saw just a little while ago?' Rei wondered, looking at Usagi. 'It's almost like she's two different people.'  
  
"Rei, can you lead Ami and Makoto out? I'm... going to try to get help." Usagi said. Before Rei could answer, she ran off into the woods.  
  
Rei led the others until they reached the main shrine buildings. "Can you take them down to the street?" Rei asked Ami and Makoto. "I want to make sure your friend's all right."  
  
"Not a problem," Makoto answered. Rei nodded and took off.  
  
In another part of the woods, Usagi raised her broach and cried "Moon Crystal Power, Make-up!" The broach flared, and shining ribbon exploded from it, even as the wings of an angel swept around her. In moments, Sailor Moon was fully transformed.  
  
She reentered the clearing with the tree, and gasped aloud. It almost looked human, female, with the branches as arms and the roots having become it's legs. 'Arms, with hands and big claws,' Sailor moon noted. It noticed her and charged, tearing at the ground where she had been standing a second before. "It's fast," Sailor Moon gasped.  
  
"Humans must die," it hissed out of its almost human face, "for the pain of my master! Die!" And it charged again, this time grazing her slightly.  
  
Rei stopped, and clutched her chest as if she was in pain. "What's happening to me?" she choked out, her hand instinctively reaching into her top. She pulled out a single red rose and stared at it in disbelief. She held it above her, and as the memories rushed in, she finally understood the gaps in her memory. The cape came first, swirling around her, then the suit, cane and finally, the hat. "I'm Tuxedo Kamen," Rei said softly. She felt the pain again, knowing someone was in danger, and went to find its source.  
  
Sailor Moon struggled in the creatures grip, pinned against a large tree. "I'll never give up," Sailor Moon gasped, and kicked a boot of dirt into it's face. Blinded monetarily, it reeled backward and never saw the attack coming.  
  
The red roses flew from the shadows, followed by a dark clad figure. A sword is drawn from the cane, and suddenly the plant is being fiercely pruned. "Get away from her," Tuxedo Kamen growled, attacking furiously. "Sailor Moon, are you all right?"  
  
"I am now," Sailor Moon said admiringly.  
  
"Venus Crescent Bean, Blast!" Sailor V cried, and blasted the creature away. Sailor V saw, as it fell back, that it's roots remained connected to the ground. "Cut away the roots," Sailor V cried, "it feeds on the Earth!"  
  
"Right," Sailor Moon cried. Taking off her tiara, she concentrates, "Moon Tiara Magic!" then throws the shining golden disk to cut through the majority of the roots. The creature howls in pain, a wild blow from a flailing arm sending Sailor Moon flying, and Tuxedo Kamen follows up with a rapid sword strike to sever the remaining roots. The thing struggles, then slows, stiffening until it finally crumbled to dust.  
  
"Good job you two," Sailor V said smiling, then was gone.  
  
"Gee, thanks for sticking around, partner," Sailor Moon grumbled under her breath. She heard Sailor V's soft laughter in the distance. As she tried to get up, Tuxedo Kamen came over, and smoothly and gently pulled her to her feet. In the same motion, the back of Sailor Moon's hand was brought to the masked hero's lips for a gentlemanly kiss. "Thank you," Sailor Moon managed to breathlessly get out.  
  
"I'm glad to help," Tuxedo Kamen said with a charming smile. Rei had heard of Sailor Moon of course, but it was very different actually meeting her in person. She was strong, tough and oh so very beautiful. 'What am I thinking,' a surprised Rei wondered, 'I'm a girl, I shouldn't be thinking of her that way.'  
  
Tuxedo Mask turned to go, and Sailor Moon noticed something, a curve where there shouldn't have been one. 'Of course, the suit hides it,' Usagi thought, 'and I guess nobody's gotten close enough to see.' She spoke up quickly, "You're a woman, aren't you?"  
  
Tuxedo Mask turned back, smiling. "Don't tell anyone, 'kay?" she said with an impish grin, and was gone.  
  
  
  
Usagi stumbled and fell out of the forest, as Ami and Makoto carefully made their way to the battle scene. "What happened to you?" Ami asked worriedly, looking over at the scratched and banged up Usagi.  
  
Usagi's mind raced, and she forced a blush on her face as she replied "I got lost." Ami and Makoto gave her a disbelieving look.  
  
A quiet laugh, as Rei made her way up another trail. "I guess those meatballs cut off the blood from your brain," she teased.  
  
"Well, what happened to you?" Usagi complained.  
  
Rei quickly improvised, "I actually got to see Sailor Moon and that masked guy fight that plant monster."  
  
"Tuxedo Kamen, I think he's called," Usagi said with a dreamy look. Rei gazed over at her oddly, then shook her head.  
  
"Could you take us to here the fight was?" Ami asked. Rei frowned at her, but couldn't easily back out of doing that, after what she said. She led them over to the clearing, where a pile of dust lay. Ami pulled a small vial from her bag and carefully scooped a bit of dust into it.  
  
"Why did you do that for?" Usagi asked, surprised.  
  
Makoto smiled, "Ami's going to take that sample over to her mad- scientist style lab and analyze it, right?"  
  
Ami blushed and nodded. "I'm sure this wasn't natural, so maybe I can find out why it happened."  
  
"Could you tell me what you find out?" Rei and Usagi said almost at the same time. They both glared at each other, while Ami and Makoto looked at them thoughtfully.  
  
  
  
High above the Earth a figure watches a view screen, anger etched on his face. A female voice says to him "The first test was successful, Master. We can transform the flora of this world into whatever form we may require."  
  
"They must pay for what they did to me," a male voice murmurs softly, "they must pay for what they did to HIM!" Suddenly, he lashes out, punching the screen and sending glass flying. A pale blue hand is drawn back, green blood pooling in his palm. 


	7. The Secret of Tuxedo Kamen! Chapter Two

Part Two  
  
Rei looked over at her grandfather in disbelief, "What do you mean, you're transferring me to a public school?"  
  
Grandpa sighed softly, "Rei, you've obviously fallen in with a bad influence at your school. The haircut, sneaking off at all hours, I fear you're becoming a juvenile delinquent."  
  
"But..." Rei started to say, then stopped. 'It's not like I can explain to him that I am secretly Tuxedo Kamen, anyway. I guess I'll just have to manage.' She sighed softly. "So when do I start?" Rei asked.  
  
"You'll be starting tomorrow, I had your new uniforms delivered as well." He saw the pained expression on her face and said a little more gently, "It'll be all right, you'll see."  
  
"Yes, Grandpa," she said resignedly.  
  
The next morning, Rei saw something that cheered her up to no end. She made her way as quietly as she could, creeping up behind her and then she loudly exclaimed "Hey Meatball-head! How's it going?"  
  
Usagi turned quickly, eyes wide, "What in the world are you doing here?"  
  
Rei grinned at her "I'm attending here, as of today."  
  
Usagi groaned, as Ami and Makoto looked on in amusement.  
  
Rei smiled over to the two girls, bowing a bit "It's nice to see you again. You're Ami and Makoto, right?"  
  
Ami smiled and offered her hand, "And you're Rei, the guide on our really interesting field trip. Do you have that happen there often?"  
  
Rei laughed, "It was the first time, I promise."  
  
Makoto looked over at Usagi, who was pointedly ignoring Rei, and smiled wryly. "You certainly can charm people, Rei," she pointed out with a smile.  
  
Rei rolled her eyes, "I save my charm for when it's needed." Suddenly, Rei was struck by the memory of Sailor Moon. She had kissed her hand, and gazed intently into the beautiful girl's eyes. 'Yeah, I used my charm, but how could I really be interested in a girl?' Rei mused.  
  
  
  
They separated to attend their classes, Makoto walking by a very preturbed Usagi to their homeroom class. "I can't believe her!" Usagi growled angrily. "Who does that woman think she is, anyway?"  
  
"I noticed you've been fuming about her ever since we visited the shrine last week," Makoto commented with a impish smile. "If I didn't know better," she teased, "I'd wonder if you didn't actually like her."  
  
"Like her?!" Usagi exclaimed. "She is such a creep, there's no way I'd like her!" Makoto didn't say anything about that, just gave her a steady stare, and Usagi eventually conceded, "Her short black hair is kind of nice. And she does have a neat eye color. And she's in good shape." She saw the amused glance Makoto was giving her, and blurted out, "But she's so obnoxious!"  
  
Makoto smiled and shrugged. "You could have said that about me before I met you," she pointed out reasonably, "and I'm sure everyone though Ami was just stuck up. You helped her with her shyness, maybe you can help Rei with her obnoxiousness."  
  
Usagi sighed gently and said, reluctantly, "I'll think about it."  
  
Makoto took that small victory and decided to change the subject, "So what happened to that cute little black cat you had? Luna? I haven't seen her around."  
  
Usagi smiled like a bad little girl, leaned over and whispered in Makoto's ear.  
  
"She's pregnant?!" Makoto gasped! "Aww! Can I have one of the kittens?"  
  
Usagi was struck by the amount of trouble a cute, fluffy little kitten that could talk would cause. "Uhm, I promised first dibs on Luna's kittens to the owner of the male cat."  
  
  
  
Luna sneezed, then promptly fell over from the sudden weight imbalance. Artemis quickly ran over to help, "Luna! Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine," Luna sighed. She wobbled to her feet, adding "This is all your fault anyway."  
  
"My fault?" Artemis protested indignantly.  
  
"If I hadn't met you while I was in heat, this never would have happened!" Luna growled angrily.  
  
Minako and Natsuna watched fondly as the two cats walked off, still bickering softly. "I do feel sort of sorry for her," Minako said. They were both in their terrycloth robes, having just finished a shared bath.  
  
Natsuna chuckled softly, "I guess Usagi didn't know Luna was in heat when she brought her over the first time. It was so funny when we heard them in the bedroom!"  
  
Minako imitated Luna's voice: "Yes, yes! Harder, harder! Oh, yes!" She grinned and shook her head. "I thought Usagi had found one of our naughty video's or something," Minako confessed.  
  
Natsuna laughed, "And the look on Usagi's face when we walked in on them!" The two shared a good laugh over that.  
  
"Any new police reports I should be aware of?" Minako asked as they sat down together on the living room couch. Natsuna leaned over and began to gently massage the young woman's shoulders, working the tense muscles and bringing a soft moan from her.  
  
"An odd plant report. A woman was tending her garden when her rose bush apparently came to life and attacked her," Natsuna reported. "She pulled free and burned the thing before the police could respond."  
  
"That's two," Minako said softly. "Once is just chance, two are a coincidence, three is enemy action." She shook her head, "Where is this coming from?"  
  
"You can handle it," Natsuna said firmly. "I have great faith in you. Remember how easily you and Sailor Moon handled Queen Beryl?"  
  
"She wasn't expecting a direct attack that early," Minako said dreamily, relaxing under the skillful massage. "We shattered the Negaforce chamber first and then combined our attacks against Beryl herself. It wasn't easy, but we did it." She moaned softly as Natsuna lightly brushed her breast, and looked up at her.  
  
Natsuna smiled down at her, a sultry expression on her face as she boldly cupped Minako's breast. "You want to go... lie down for a bit?"  
  
"Oh, yeah," a grinning Minako sighed happily, and the two ran for the bedroom like a couple of teenagers.  
  
Later, Natsuna sighed happily and said "Before we got distracted, I was going to ask if there was any progress with Ami and Makoto."  
  
"Not really," Minako sighed. "Makoto is much stronger than anybody her height and weight should be, and Ami is certainly a genius. But their senshi natures seem thoroughly blocked."  
  
"What I don't get," Natsuna said thoughtfully, "is why the Negaverse didn't just kill you all, if they were able to strike so early."  
  
"Someone, or something, prevented them from doing so," Minako said. She held up her hand before Natsuna could say anything, "And no, I can't say anything more. I'm sorry."  
  
Natsuna pouted, but conceded the point. "I guess we have to get going," she sighed. "You have that modeling job, and I've got to get to work."  
  
Minako lay on the bed and watched Natsuna dress with a silly smile on her face. She then got up and gently but thoroughly kissed Natsuna as she headed off. "Just something to remember me by," she whispered softly in Natsuna's ear. She watched with a smile as the chief of the Tokyo Police Department drove away.  
  
'It's not that I couldn't tell her,' Minako admitted to herself, 'it's just that I don't know much myself!' She had only just started out as Sailor V, a girl younger even than Usagi was now, when she encountered the mysterious senshi. The dark hared woman was tall, beautiful, and carried an large, odd looking staff.  
  
"Sailor V, there are dark forces at work," she had said, her expression grave. "I and my allies will shield you and the other Inners when we can. But three potential allies of yours have already been harmed." She vowed in a firm voice, "They will not take the other." She turned and walked away, but over her shoulder she said "We will meet again."  
  
"Who are you? Who are the Inners? What's going on?" Sailor V had shouted at her, but the woman had simply disappeared. She hadn't heard from her since, but what she had said made more and more sense over time.  
  
  
  
Sailor Moon rolled away, barely avoiding being smothered by the large, green mass. "I can't believe I'm being attacked by grass!" she exclaimed indignantly. The plant monster, who looked like a large, moving rug tried to say something, but it came out fairly muffled. It gave up on talking and tried to smother her again.  
  
Before it could bury her, a hand grabbed her by the collar and yanked her back. "Are you all right, Sailor Moon?" Tuxedo Kamen asked, an odd smile on her handsome face.  
  
"This is so ridiculous," Sailor moon complained as Tuxedo Kamen took her into her arms and leapt away. The thing shuffled after them. "It just soaks up anything I do to it!" she said. 'That feels good,' Usagi thought as she relaxed into Tuxedo Kamen's arms wrapped around her.  
  
"What have you tried?" Tuxedo Kamen asked, secretly enjoying holding Sailor Moon's shapely form. 'Yep, I'm definitely interested,' Rei admitted to herself.  
  
Sailor moon listed quickly, "Tiara, Sword, Healing and my Scepter." At the inquiring look from Tuxedo Kamen, she elaborated "The Scepter's my big gun. It does a lot of collateral damage, so I don't use it much."  
  
"It's still a plant, though," Tuxedo Kamen commented, landing and rolling them away from another attack. "What do plants hate?"  
  
"Fire," Sailor Moon murmured softly. She quickly scanned the sports field, and noticed the gas main by the nearby gymnasium. "I'm going to lure it over there," she said quietly. "I want you to turn on the gas and set it off once moss-boy over there is near enough."  
  
"Can you get clear in time?" Tuxedo Kamen asked, concern obvious in her voice.  
  
Sailor Moon smiled at her gently. "I've been through worse," she reassured her. Sailor Moon stepped close to Tuxedo Kamen, and gently kissed the surprised heroine. "For luck," Sailor Moon said quietly.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen stood frozen a moment, then moved, running to the gas main even as Sailor Moon led the shuffling plant monster on a chase around the field. She turned the valves and released the gas, leaping up out of sight, her sword blade ready.  
  
"Hey ugly!" Sailor Moon yelled and then added, "Your mother has root rot!" The creature may not have grasped the exact meaning, but the insult was clear. It tried to roar, and shuffled towards her faster. She led it right to the gas main, and Tuxedo Kamen generated a spark to ignite the leaking gas!  
  
Sailor Moon caught the edge of the fireball, even as the creature exploded into flames. It staggered into a ever decreasing circle, crumbling into a odd gray ash. "Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Kamen yelled worriedly and went running to her fallen figure. She gently rolled Sailor Moon over, who smiled dazedly up at her.  
  
"Wow, that was kind of fun," she said shakily. She took Tuxedo Kamen's offered hand and pulled herself to her unsteady feet. She swayed a bit, but kept standing. "Thank you for your help," Sailor Moon said, suddenly feeling a little shy.  
  
"It was my pleasure," Tuxedo Kamen said, looking into Sailor Moon's blue eyes. They leaned in closer, and kissed again, this time a bit more lingeringly. "My Princess," Tuxedo Kamen found herself saying, wondering where those words had come from.  
  
"My prince," Sailor Moon answered, equally confused.  
  
In the trees at the edge of the sports field Sailor V watched, and whispered softly to herself "This is going to make things more complicated."  
  
  
  
In another place, two frowning figures watch the monitor. "That could have gone better," the female voice admits wryly. "It seems that particular kind of plant may not be able to serve our purposes," she conceded  
  
"There is something oddly familiar about the caped one, though. Almost like my lost love," the male voice said softly. "We must investigate this Tuxedo Kamen more." 


	8. The Secret of Tuxedo Kamen! Chapter Thre...

Part Three  
  
Ami smiled over to Rei as she walked into one of the school labs. "How are you today?" she asked cheerfully, obviously a morning person.  
  
Rei smiled a little, shrugging as she said, "As well as can be expected, being up this early in the morning."  
  
Ami laughs softly, then brightens up. "I remember you asked about that analysis of the creature we ran into in the woods, right?" At Rei's eager nod, she smiles holding up a folder. "Here's the results of my examination! The thing was primarily regular plant material, but there were trace elements of something I couldn't identify."  
  
"Which means?" Usagi asked her, stepping into the room as well. She and Rei pointedly ignored each other, bringing a pair of sighs from Ami and Makoto.  
  
"Something in that plant, maybe whatever brought it to life, was alien, not of this earth," Ami said simply.  
  
"Are you sure?" Usagi said, frowning thoughtfully.  
  
"Of course she's sure, Meatball-head. She wouldn't have said it otherwise," Rei said, frowning a bit herself.  
  
The two were soon arguing again, and Ami shooed them out of the room gently. "Are you sure about those two?" she asked Makoto, sweatdropping.  
  
Makoto shrugged. "The signs are all there," she remarked.  
  
"If you say so," Ami said dubiously. She brightened a bit, opening a package sitting on the desk nearby. "The special material I ordered is here!" She held up a large bolt of white cloth, and two smaller ones of blue and green material. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked Makoto more quietly, gazing at her intently.  
  
"Yes," Makoto said firmly. They shared a nod, then both went to work. "When do you think we'll be ready to go?"  
  
"Everything else is done, we just need to finish these," Ami reassured her. "Tomorrow, at the latest."  
  
  
  
Natsuna glared at the phone angrily. It had been ringing almost constantly since she had talked with Minako early yesterday. 'If three's enemy action, I wonder about over twenty?' she thought, remembering something Minako had quoted. It rang again, and she picked it up with a sigh.  
  
"Mr. Mayor," Natsuna said respectfully. "Yes, I do know about the plant creatures. Yes sir, we are doing all we can. Actually, sir, Sailor V, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen have been invaluable, as our weapons have very little effect. I'd like to authorize flame throwers..." she started, only to have to hold the phone away from her ear to save it from the volume. "Sir, the enemies are plants! Fire at least can hurt them, unlike our guns. Thank you sir!"  
  
"He's agreed to the flame throwers?" a voice asked from the other side of the room. Natsuna looked up and smiled as Sailor V climbed in the third floor window.  
  
"Yes," Natsuna said, even as she punched two keys on her phone. "Aoi," she said to her secretary, "I want each squad car equipped with one of the flame throwers we prepared. I'll be giving guidelines on use in a meeting in half an hour. Got it?"  
  
"Hai," Minako overheard Aoi answer, as Natsuna put the phone down. Natsuna made sure the blinds were down and then walked over to gently hug Sailor V.  
  
"How are you?" Natsuna asked her softly.  
  
"Tired," Sailor V admitted. "I and Sailor Moon have been running all over town trying to keep a lid on the emergency. If Tuxedo Kamen wasn't helping us out, I think we would have been overwhelmed."  
  
"And you were worried about the two of them," Natsuna teased her gently.  
  
"I guess I just don't want her to get her heart broken," Sailor V admitted. She smiled wryly, "Usagi wants to talk to you, by the way. She sees you as a mature, mentor type I guess."  
  
"Aren't you the mentor?" Natsuna asked nervously. 'I don't think I'm up to explaining the birds and the bees to Usagi,' Natsuna thought.  
  
"I'm more the overbearing big sister," she said with a grin. She shook her head, "Usagi tells me Ami ran tests on one of the plant monsters. Apparently it's got a alien element to it."  
  
"Is she sure?" Natsuna asked, her eyes wide. Then she shook her head, "Of course she's sure. From what you've told me, she'd have to be to say that."  
  
"I've got Artemis and Luna trying to recall anything similar from the moon kingdom's era, but it's slow going," Sailor V reported. She leaned in and kissed Natsuna softly. "Rest when you can, love, we can't afford you burning out." With that, she was out of the window and gone.  
  
  
  
"Moon Scepter Halation!" Sailor Moon cried, pointed her scepter and blasted the tree creature to a pile of gray ash. She wavered, exhausted, and Tuxedo Kamen quickly stepped up to take her weight. "Thanks," she said shakily.  
  
"You may have saved my life, that time," Tuxedo Kamen admitted, looking at three long slashes in her cape.  
  
The city park rustled loudly, and they turned together, ready for another battle. One, then two, then finally four of the tree monsters shuffled forward. "We're in trouble, aren't we?" Sailor moon said tiredly, receiving a grim nod from Tuxedo Kamen. She straightened up, and whispered softly to herself, "Once more into the breech, my friends."  
  
But before either of them could act, four white balls flew by their heads, each one striking one of the plant creatures dead center. A liquid splashed, and ice suddenly spread across them, soon sealing them in a icy shell.  
  
"What do you know, it actually worked," a voice said behind them. Sailor Moon turned and Ami smiled at her cheerfully. She wore a white and blue sailor suit like Sailor Moon's, but with white leggings, and a blue visor across her eyes, concealing the upper part of her face.  
  
"You weren't sure they would work?" the girl beside her said disbelievingly. Her sailor costume had green instead of blue on her suit and a green visor as well.  
  
"There's always some uncertainty in any scientific endeavor," Ami pointed out to her. "But I was reasonably certain they would."  
  
"Reasonably certain," the other girl echoed, shaking her head and walking nearer. The girl, who Usagi recognized as Makoto, sweatdropped, then ran forward. "Look out," Makoto cried, as lightning arced around her hands. She punched the nearest creature as it tried to break free of the ice, and it exploded in a electrical explosion. "Looks like the gloves work," Makoto said wryly.  
  
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen joined in and quickly dealt with the ice encased creatures. Sailor Moon turned to Ami and Makoto and asked "What in the world do you think you were doing? You could have been killed!"  
  
"So could you, every day. Besides, it looked like you needed our help," Makoto pointed out. She smiled slightly, "Sailor Jupiter, at your service."  
  
Ami smiled over to Sailor Moon as well, "Sailor Mercury, ready to help."  
  
Before anything more could be said, before they had any chance to react, a figure dove down from the sky and snatched Tuxedo Kamen! The woman, looking vaguely plant like, ascended quickly, as Sailor Moon and the others ran in pursuit. Tuxedo Kamen struggled in her grip, and she struck her in the head! Mask and hat flew away and Usagi felt her heart stop at the face finally revealed.  
  
"Rei?!" Sailor Moon cried, running until her legs collapsed under her. "Rei!!!" 


	9. The Secret of Tuxedo Kamen! Chapter Four

The Secret of Tuxedo Kamen! Part Four.  
  
"Rei," a softly crying Sailor Moon whispered to herself, holding the mask and hat in her arms. 'I can't believe it,' Usagi thought dazedly. 'How could I have not seen it before now? Why was I so blind?' she asked.  
  
Ami and Makoto, in their new sailor costumes, stood nearby looking uncomfortable, unsure what to do. Once she had cried herself out, Sailor Moon rose slowly, wiping her tears from her face with a determined expression on her face.  
  
Mercury spoke softly, touching the blue visor across her eyes "I tracked it's progress into low orbit on my visor." Ami looked a little scared, as if the real danger involved in being a heroine had only just begun to dawn on her.  
  
Jupiter put her arm around her shoulder, "Good work." Makoto then smiled down at Ami comfortingly. She looked over to Sailor Moon, "Are we going after her?"  
  
"Yes," Sailor Moon said firmly, standing up straight with newly renewed determination. "But how I don't know," Usagi admitted softly.  
  
Before anyone could say anything else, a figure walked out of the shadows. "There may be a way," Sailor V said calmly, the two cats cradled in her arms. She smiled over at Ami and Makoto, "Glad to have you here, Mercury and Jupiter. It's good to see you, again."  
  
Sailor Moon glared angrily at the slightly surprised Sailor V, barking out "Where were you? We could have been killed!"  
  
"I'm sorry," Sailor V said quietly in apology, "I was on my way here when a playground full of children was attacked by one of the monsters."  
  
Sailor Moon calmed down a bit, nodding, "Understood." She slumped a bit, then revived, asking "What do you mean, there may be a way?"  
Rei's eyes slowly opened, and she groaned at the stab of pain from the back of her head. A soft voice said "Ah, at last. I'm glad to see you're awake. I'm very sorry about my servant, she is a little over enthusiastic."  
  
Rei gasped, floating in a odd, thick liquid sealed within a clear crystal capsule. Somehow, she could breathe easily, and her whole body tingled strangely. A young man walked into her line of sight, a complete stranger to her, and yet, somehow, he seemed oddly familiar, as if she had known him before. His skin was pale green, and his hair was blue, with two pink tufts on each side of his face. His clothing was all black, edged in gold, with a flower on his breast.  
  
"Who are you? Where have you taken me?" Rei asked him angrily.  
  
He sighed softly as he said, "I had hoped that part of you might recognize me. This is my home," he said, gesturing around the plant covered grounds, "and I am Fiore."  
  
"Let me go!" Rei angrily growled, and she began to punch weakly at the walls surrounding her so completely.  
  
Fiore sighed, and tapped the glass once, "Sleep." Rei's eyes closed, and she floated peacefully in the thick fluid.  
  
"Do you think your beloved's spirit is within her?" the Kisenian flower asked him quietly, gazing at the floating girl with jealousy in her eyes.  
  
"It's strange," Fiore admitted. "Instead of the two spirits I expected to find, there are three within her. The fluid of the healing chamber will awaken all those forces, and I will see if Mamoru's spirit is there."  
Sailor Moon looked at Sailor V in minor disbelief, along with Mercury and Jupiter. "There is no way," she said firmly. "Sailor V, we can't bring two amateurs into this kind of fight," she said intensely, adding, "It would be totally irresponsible."  
  
"We can't teleport after Rei without them," Sailor V said firmly. "It may not even work with four, but we've got to try."  
  
"Sailor Moon," Ami said to her gently, "we're already involved. Both I and Makoto have been targets of the negative forces, and we've had to just stand on the sidelines while you and Sailor V protected us. Usagi," she started, then blushed.  
  
"You know?" Sailor Moon said to her in surprise.  
  
"From the start," Makoto said softly, nodding in agreement. "You need us, Sailor Moon. We can help!" She clenched her fists, and lightning arced around them.  
  
"Let us help you both," Ami said softly.  
  
Sailor Moon sighed, obviously torn, but finally she nodded. She turned to Sailor V and asked, "How do we make this work?"  
  
"Form a circle, hold hands!" Luna instructed.  
  
"And sing Kumbaya?" Sailor V asked softly. Artemis shot her a look and she shrugged, "Sorry, couldn't resist."  
  
"Focus," Artemis urged them. "Reach deep within yourselves," he said to Ami and Makoto, "find in there what inspired you to fight by Sailor Moon and Sailor V's side, your Senshi nature, and bring it to the surface!"  
  
The cats looked on in awe as they all began to glow, and then, strangely, the flickering form of a fifth sailor appeared in their midst, glowing blood red. As the moon emerged from behind clouds, the colors began to rise, reaching upwards, shining brighter and brighter. Loose rocks and stones began to rise from the ground, driven up into the air by the incredible forces.  
  
"Sailor..." Artemis started.  
  
"... Teleport!" Luna finished.  
  
The energy flared, and the Scouts disappeared, only to reappear in space. They traveled by instinct, Sailor Mercury guiding them to the asteroid. As the neared, it unfolded itself open, revealing fields of flower like plants.  
  
They tried to come in for a landing, but instead they rammed into the ground. They leaped clear, Sailor V landing gracefully. Mercury and Jupiter staggered a bit, but managed good landings. And Sailor Moon hit the ground on her butt.  
  
"Oww!" Sailor Moon groaned, rubbing her sore bottom even as she climbed to her feet. She and the others gazed around them in wonder, as Mercury activated her visor and began to scan their surroundings.  
  
"There," Mercury exclaimed, and zoomed in on a circle of standing stones in the distance. In the center of the ring, Rei floated in the crystal chamber, unconscious. "Rei's over there," Mercury said, pointing towards her.  
  
"Rei!" Sailor Moon cried out and moved to run over to her, before Sailor V stepped in front of her to stop her.  
  
"Be careful," Jupiter cautioned, "it may be a trap!"  
  
"Don't be worried about that." Fiore said, rising up from the ground covered in his flowers. They fell away, revealing his serious expression. "I never imagined you could follow my servant," he admitted. "I underestimated you." he said grimly, adding "I am Fiore."  
  
"Give our friend back!" Sailor Moon cried angrily.  
  
"Maybe I will," Fiore said calmly, "but not now. This asteroid," he said, gesturing around him, "will pass very near the Earth soon. When it does, my plants will release all their seeds on to the world below, transforming all plant life there."  
  
"That would destroy our world," Sailor V said to him softly. "Kill every living thing and wipe out all of humanity!"  
  
"Good," Fiore answered her coldly. "The one I loved died on that world, so it's inhabitants must pay," he said furiously, eyes glowing red. He shook himself, and turned to walk away.  
  
"Venus love-me chain!" Sailor V cried, and her golden heart chain lashed out to try to encircle him! But he stopped it with a gesture, disappearing!  
  
"Deal with them," he said, as he faded away.  
  
"What did he mean by that?" Sailor Moon asked, surprised.  
  
Ami activated her visor, and gasped softly. As the other scouts turned to her, she declared "We're surrounded!" They turned back outward, but saw nothing, looking around wildly even as Ami continued "My god, there's so many..."  
  
"Where?" Sailor V said angrily, then her eyes widened as she looked down at the plant covered fields. "Could it be?"  
  
They heard soft laughter, then out of the plants a female form appeared, blue skinned with purple hair. Then five, then twenty, until they were surrounded by them. Ami shut her visor down, her eyes wide with shock and fear.  
  
"Sailor Moon," Sailor V said crisply, getting their attention and distracting them from their nearly overwhelming fear, "you must cleanse this asteroid with Moon Princess Halation! Jupiter, Mercury and I will cover you!"  
  
Rei watched the army of plant creatures advance, and groaned in frustration! She didn't know who the two new scouts were, but even they wouldn't be enough to win! As she frantically beat at the wall, she thought 'My friends are going to die and there's nothing I can do!'  
  
"Don't give up," a young man's voice said to her firmly. Rei felt him, more than saw him, a young man standing beside her dressed in black, dark haired and intense. "There is a power within you, that can defeat him!"  
  
"Who are you?" Rei asked surprised.  
  
"Mamoru, or his spirit, anyway," the young man said with a sad smile. "You were destined to be Sailor Mars, Rei Hino, a defender and champion of Sailor Moon, until that destiny was taken from you by the negaverse. I, also, was meant to protect Sailor Moon, but was slain before I even met her. Together, we may yet save her," Mamoru finished.  
  
Rei felt power flow through her, his power, unlocked somehow by Mamoru's spirit, and another power as well! The fire of Mars was hers again, as well as the strength of a prince of Earth. She raised her fist and struck just once, and her prison shattered. "Fiore!" she cried, and charged towards the battle.  
  
Sailor Moon groaned softly, swinging her scepter and destroying another dozen creatures. There seemed to be no end to them! Sailor V blasted away, Mercury freezing anyone who got too close, and Jupiter throwing out powerful bolts of lightning, but it seemed to do little good. They just kept on coming!  
  
"They will destroy many of our plants," Fiore said calmly, floating above the battle "but they will fall first." Before he could say anymore, he was knocked from the sky, sent rolling among the flowers. "You?!" he said surprised.  
  
A maskless Rei Hino said to him softly, "Please, stop this, Fiore! Mamoru wouldn't have wanted this."  
  
"Don't say his name!" Fiore roared out angrily.  
  
Rei looked into his eyes and realized that he was lost, lost to his grief and his madness, and for a moment she felt terribly sorry for him. But just for a moment. She left him standing there and leapt over to Sailor Moon's side.  
  
"Sailor Moon!" Rei said to her firmly, "I think, if I combine my gift with yours, we can end this! Will you help?"  
  
Sailor Moon looked into Rei's eyes with absolute and total trust as she answered "Yes!" She raised her scepter above her into the air, instinctively, and cried out "Moon Princess Halation!"  
  
Rei lifted her hands around Sailor Moon's on the scepter, and for just a moment, she was dressed in a red sailor fuku just like Sailor Moon's. "Fire Soul!" she cried, and a wave of golden fire arced outward from them!  
  
Fiore cried out in pain and horror as it washed over him, consuming both him and his flowers, racing onward from the two of them until it covered the entire asteroid! In moments, only bare rock remained.  
  
As the flames died down, Mercury activated her visor, scanning. "The plants have been destroyed," she sighed, relieved. Suddenly, the ground shakes beneath them! "The asteroid is moving away from the Earth," Mercury reported, "and the atmosphere is going!"  
  
"Kisenian must have been maintaining it for Fiore," Rei said softly, her tuxedo back in place. 'The fire's gone again,' she thought to herself, then she smiled a bit as she felt something stir within her, 'well, mostly gone.'  
  
"We've got to teleport!" Sailor V cried, even as she and the other Senshi instinctively moved to Sailor Moon's side.  
  
"But we're exhausted!" Jupiter said. "It was hard enough just getting here!"  
  
Sailor Moon looked at Rei and smiled, "But this time we're five."  
  
"I'm not Sailor Mars anymore," Rei said, shaking her head. "I think that was a one time only return. But I'll help however I can." They gathered into a circle again, focusing their will and strength together, until they suddenly disappeared form the barren rock. Back on Earth, they returned to where they started out from.  
  
"Hey," Sailor V said, surprised. "I wonder where Luna and Artemis got to?"  
  
Back at their apartment, Natsuna looked down at the sleeping Luna and the two kittens laying beside her in wonder. "What are you two planning to name them?" she asked Artemis.  
  
"One is going to be Diana," the white cat answered her quietly so as to not disturb Luna, nodding to the sleeping little gray ball of fluff curled up beside her. The other kitten is, surprisingly, a bright pink and is full of energy as it playfully tugs on one of Artemis' ears. "And she's going to be Serena." he said, wincing at an extra strong tug.  
  
Elsewhere, a little boy lies on his side, curled into a ball as he cries softly. "I'm all alone," Fiore said softly, weeping gently.  
  
A hand rests on his shoulder and his face lights up, as Mamoru says "Neither of us are alone, anymore." Fiore gets up eagerly, smiling happily, as is Mamoru. The two little boys slowly walk away together, holding each other's hands.  
  
Usagi stopped, and grinned cheerfully as she looked down at the paper. "Five heroes!" the headline read, and the picture below was of the four Sailors and Tuxedo Mask. She didn't need to buy it, Minako had already bought and framed one for Natsuna's 'Sailor V' wall at work. Introducing Minako and Natsuna formally to the others had been a little awkward, Ami and Makoto were a little angry Usagi had kept them from meeting before now, but things were working out. The city was quiet, and there were no new problems on the horizon.  
  
Hidden in the shadows, three figures silently watched her walk away. Once she was far enough away, the shorter, sandy hared one asked the other two "Did they win, then?" She reached up and ran her hand through her hair, giving it a messy, boyish look.  
  
"Of course, Haruka," the woman with the longest hair answered her coolly. She was taller than the other two by a little, and seemed older, somehow.  
  
"They're victory wasn't that certain, Setsuna," the third girl said. She pushed her green hair back, "So, we weren't needed this time?" A young woman walking by smiled suggestively at Haruka, and Michiru took her arm possesively.  
  
"Maybe not, Michiru, but I suspect we will be meeting them soon." Setsuna said with a smile. "Again," she added quietly.  
  
To Be Continued! 


	10. Now and Then :Interlude

Altered Destinies: Now and Then  
  
Usagi walked up the shrine steps quickly, she was so eager to see her friend once again! As she neared the top of the stairs, she heard an older male and younger female voices talking amongst themselves quietly. "I have to admit, your new friends seem to be a good influence on you," the male voice said.  
  
As she climbed, Usagi recognized the other voice as Rei's "Oh, Grandpa!" and then the sound of her quiet laughter. "Yeah, I like them a lot. It's nice knowing someone who isn't bothered by my being a shrine maiden."  
  
Usagi came up to the top of the stairs and met the smiling gaze of Rei Hino. "Hey, Usagi," Rei said to her softly. She took a few steps over to Usagi, smiling to her shyly.  
  
Usagi smiled back, also feeling suddenly shy. The little older man looked back and forth between them, a wide smile on his wrinkled face. "Weren't you with that tour we had earlier?" he asked cheerfully.  
  
"Yes, sir. I'm Usagi Tsukino, it's very nice to meet you!" she said shyly. She bowed suddenly, blushing a bit.  
  
"She's certainly a looker," Grandpa commented about her cheerfully to Rei. Usagi blushed even harder at that, and Rei seemed ready to jump to her defense when he gave a cheerful wave and sauntered off.  
  
Rei blushed as well as she grasped Usagi's hand and took her into the shrine itself. "I'm sorry about that, Usagi," she said, "he doesn't mean anything by that."  
  
"It's OK, Rei," Usagi said. She smiled impishly, "It's nice to see someone in the Hino family pay me compliments!"  
  
Rei blushed harder. "You know you're beautiful," Rei said softly, "you don't need me to tell you." and looked away shyly. She still wasn't sure if Usagi wanted her or her other self, Tuxedo Kamen. They hadn't talked about it, but Rei knew they would have to soon.  
  
Usagi took her hand, and reached up to turn Rei's face towards hers. "Only when you tell me," Usagi told her quietly. Rei was such an enigma to her, at once a noble, handsome figure and yet so beautifully feminine. But did Rei want her as the reborn princess, Sailor Moon, or Usagi? She wished she knew.  
  
They both found themselves looking searchingly into each others eyes as they leaned closer and closer together, their faces growing nearer in preparation for a kiss...  
  
"We found the place at last!" Minako exclaimed cheerfully, standing outside. Usagi and Rei jerked apart, and Rei walked over and quickly opened the door before Natsuna had a chance to knock. "Hello everybody," Minako said to them. Natsuna and Minako were bundled up warmly, with long coats and scarves on. Minako looked around the temple eagerly, while Natsuna followed at a more reasonable pace.  
  
"Thank you for letting us meet here," Natsuna said softly to Rei, as they stood watching Usagi and Minako catching up on gossip.  
  
"I'm glad to," Rei said back to her quietly. She laughed suddenly, adding, "Your apartment is pretty spacious but with all six of us there plus the two cats, it was getting pretty crowded." Rei smiled sadly, "And I think Grandpa likes my being able to ask friends over. I never have before."  
  
Ami and Makoto arrived soon afterwards, joined at the hip as always. Makoto towered over the much smaller Ami, and Rei unexpectedly found her thoughts roaming to what they must look like together in bed. She noticed Usagi's amused but knowing gaze and blushed brightly as she realized Usagi knew what she was thinking about.  
  
"Please don't say anything to them, Usagi," Rei whispered softly to her. The blond girl laughed softly and shook her head.  
  
"It's alright," Usagi whispered back to her. "I've done that too, occasionally," she admitted softly, smiling a little.  
  
"Hello, everyone," Ami said to them cheerfully. She was carrying a few schoolbooks as well, and after a few pointed glances, she added hesitantly "I thought we could do a study session after the meeting."  
  
Everybody sweatdropped at that, except for Makoto who just smiled down at her fondly. "I brought snacks for everybody," Makoto said cheerfully, holding up a large covered basket. She put it on the table and unwrapped several plates full of food.  
  
"Isn't that a bit excessive?" a sweatdropping Rei asked, looking at the many piles of food building up on the table.  
  
"You obviously haven't seen Usagi eat," Makoto answered cheerfully. Usagi looked wounded, and they all shared a good laugh.  
  
"Where's Luna and Artemis?" a still chuckling Rei asked Minako and Natsuna, looking around for the guardian cats.  
  
"Luna doesn't want to leave the kittens alone, not even for a little while," Minako explained to them all.  
  
"And Artemis won't leave her, either," Natsuna finished with a fond smile. She looked around at the Senshi and said tentatively, "I hope you don't mind my sitting in on your meetings. Minako said it would be alright, but..."  
  
"You've been a great help to us, Natsuna," Usagi said to her firmly, "and I'm sure you will continue to be. I think you're welcome to stay, right everybody?" She looked around and saw only nods of agreement.  
  
"Thank you," Natsuna said with a warm smile as they all entered the living room and sat around the long, low table there. They began to talk, a bit slowly at first then more eagerly, sharing their experiences and adventures in a relaxed circle of newfound but close friends. Serious and funny stories flew, snacks were consumed, and they worked to began to create the bonds that might make them lifelong friends...  
  
  
  
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but how long are we going to have to sit out here?" Sailor Uranus asked sourly perched up in a high tree branch. A brisk, cold fall wind was blowing, making things even more uncomfortable for her and her companions.  
  
Sailor Pluto, sitting uncomfortably on a branch just below her, smiled wryly as she answered, "I'm not entirely sure." Uranus groaned softly, and Pluto continued to them somewhat apologetically "All I know is that probability shows that the Inners will be the first to encounter the new enemy, and we need to be there when it happens."  
  
"You recognized Minako as soon as you saw her," Sailor Neptune observed quietly. She shifted about trying to find a comfortable seat on her own tree branch as she asked, "Have you met her before, then?"  
  
"Well, yes," Pluto admitted. At the enquiring looks from Uranus and Neptune she said, "It's a small part of a much longer story."  
  
"I think we've got the time," Uranus pointed out to her, shivering as a very strong breeze ruffled the skirt of her fuku.  
  
Pluto took mercy on the two of them and said, "It was nearly ten years ago....  
  
It was in London, England where I first encountered the young senshi. I made sure I stayed concealed in shadow; so all Sailor V would be able to see of me is a tall, dark hared woman who carried an large, odd looking staff. At least, that was what I hoped.  
  
"Sailor V, there are dark forces at work," I said to her, my expression suitably grave. "I and my allies will shield you and the other Inners when and where we can. But three potential allies of yours have already been harmed." I then vowed to Sailor V in a firm voice, "They will not take the other." I turned and walked away, but over my shoulder I said to her "We will meet again."  
  
"Who are you? Who are the Inners? What's going on?" Sailor V had shouted at me, even as I took my leave. I then returned to the time stream, and the gates of time, only to re-emerge in Tokyo, Japan!  
  
Only a few minutes earlier, I had already fought three desperate battles at the homes of Rei Hino, Makoto Kino and Ami Mizuno, but each time I arrived there too late! I was able to save their lives and defeat Zoisite, Malachite and Neflite, but their powers were stripped from them by the negative forces!  
  
"Wait a minute," Uranus said, interrupting her with a frown, "are you saying that the Negaverse was so powerful it could actually steal a Senshi's powers?"  
  
"No, the Senshi were only vulnerable because their powers hadn't fully awakened in them yet," Pluto explained. "I certainly didn't have any trouble with the Generals when I encountered them. One 'Dead Scream' each and they were down for the count."  
  
"That's why Sailor V was safe," Neptune said her thoughts out loud, "because her powers had already awakened too!"  
  
"Yes," Pluto agreed. "Anyway...  
  
I made my way to Usagi's home as quickly as I possibly could, only to discover a pitched battle going on! A mysterious, white robed figure I didn't recognize battled against Jedite, who took the cowards way out and retreated as soon as I arrived! "Who are you?" I asked the white-cloaked figure after Jedite had left.  
  
"I am the Moonlight Knight, a champion of the light," he said quietly, "much like yourself." He gestured to the window, where I saw the figure of a sleeping, golden haired child. "We must protect her," he began, only to suddenly crumple!  
  
I tried to catch him, but his body passed right through my hands. "A bodiless spirit," I murmured thoughtfully. I could somehow feel his drive and courage as he passed through my body, but without a body of his own the spirit would slowly fade away forever. Suddenly, the memory of another sleeping figure leapt to mind, and I had an inspiration!  
  
"There is another," I said to him urgently, "who was also destined to protect her! She has lost the powers she needed, and you have lost your body! Together, though, you might be able to fulfill both your duties!"  
  
He fought to firm up his form and climbed to his feet with a kind of gentle nobility. "Only if she wills it," the white clad spirit said to me calmly. We traveled across the city together, until we both reached the home of Rei Hino. The dark hared girl looked so cute as she slept there, her long, dark hair spread across the pillow.  
  
"Reach out to her," I advised the spirit softly, even though I wasn't totally sure myself about what to do.  
  
He placed one finger on the girl's brow, and I could suddenly feel a deep connection form between them! He smiled slightly, and softly said "You are right, she is the one!" He seemed to shrink then, his spirit changing to become a much younger seeming boy, and flowed into her own form until he was gone!  
  
"That was quite the gamble," Neptune said to Pluto thoughtfully. "How did you know he wasn't deceiving you?"  
  
"I felt his spirit," Pluto repeated patiently, "and I knew, somehow, that I had met him before. It was only later that I realized he was the Prince of Earth, reborn." She smiled suddenly, adding "Of course I also knew Rei Hino's will power. If he was an enemy, jumping into her body would be nothing but trouble for him."  
  
Uranus and Neptune both shared a laugh at that. Observing the scouts the past few weeks, they had certainly seen Rei's will first hand! Uranus looked over at her thoughtfully and asked, "Didn't you have a crush on the Prince back then?" Pluto blushed a bit, and both Uranus and Neptune eagerly awaited her answer.  
  
"I'm not sure that's relevant," Pluto said, her cheeks red. She continued her story under her friends' impish smiles...  
  
I felt his spirit settle into it's new home, and then departed for my next mission. I may have saved the Senshi now, but that didn't mean they were safe tomorrow or the next day. I needed to do something more long term to help them.  
  
I stepped back into the time stream to study the situation, then I determined a plan of attack. I broke into Beryl's base in the Negaverse and confronted her in her own throne room. After battling her forces and giving them some serious losses, I gave her a choice: I would go to war against her and her forces, or she could pledge to leave the Senshi alone for ten years. In return, I would in turn leave her forces alone for the next ten years.  
  
Beryl tried to bargain with me, of course, but I think she knew that if she tried to take me on in battle, even if she won she would suffer terrible losses. As well, they had already done us serious damage, so she could afford to be generous.  
  
We sealed our covenant in the old Silver Millennium manner and I took my leave.  
  
Both Neptune and Uranus looked at her with pure disbelief on their faces. "You... bargained with Queen Beryl?" Neptune asked her slowly.  
  
"I'm impressed," Uranus admitted, looking at her oddly.  
  
"It wasn't such a big thing," Pluto said modestly. "Beryl and I each knew the others' reputation, so we were both fairly cautious around each other," she explained. She added, "The oath we swore bound us both, in a covenant unbreakable by any force, so I knew she would keep her end of the bargain."  
  
"But you gave them ten years without your interference," Neptune said softly, "weren't you worried about what she might do?"  
  
"I couldn't interfere," Pluto said to them with a grin, "but that didn't stop Sailor V or more mundane forces from acting against her and her forces. You'd be surprised how much damage you can do with only a few anonymous phone calls."  
  
They all looked at each other and then began to laugh quietly, drawing closer to share precious warmth. Neptune produced a thermos of hot tea and they each shared a cup as they looked down at the temple and the party developing inside.  
  
The door slid open and Rei walked outside, leaning on the balcony to look out into the forest. Usagi followed her out and they stood together, until Rei hesitantly put her arm across Usagi's shoulder. Usagi smiled happily and leaned into Rei's warmth.  
  
"It looks like something's developing between the two of them," Neptune observed quietly, only to freeze at the look of pure jealousy on Pluto's face. 'This doesn't bode well,' Neptune thought to herself worriedly, 'no, not well at all.'  
  
To be continued... 


	11. Cold Snap! Part One

Cold Snap! Part One  
  
Luna rolled into a tight little ball to escape them, but even that wasn't enough to save her. With her ears protected, the playful kittens instead decided to go after her tail instead, ferociously tugging and biting on it. Artemis saw the strain on her face and rushed over to help.  
  
"Diana, Serena!" Artemis chided the two kittens. More gently he said to them, "Don't play so rough." The kittens looked at each other and seemed to come to an unspoken agreement. Moving as one, they pounced on the very surprised Artemis instead!  
  
Usagi, Minako and Natsuna sat on the couch nearby and watched the goings on with a great deal of amusement. "So, Usagi," Minako leaned back on the couch and asked her curiously, "how are things going with Rei?"  
  
Usagi blushed a bit. "We haven't gone any further than just kissing," Usagi admitted to the two shyly. Both Minako and Natsuna looked at her in a great deal of surprise. Minako seemed speechless, and it took Natsuna a moment to kind her voice.  
  
"But I thought," Natsuna started, only to trail off uncomfortably. "I mean, you're cuddling all the time!" she said, a bit disappointed.  
  
"I think she's a bit too much of a gentleman," a blushing Usagi said with a little laugh. "And I just don't know how to get the point across to her any clearer!" She flopped back on the couch dramatically, and both women chuckled.  
  
A recovered Minako laughed softly. "I'm sorry I can't be more help," Minako said to her cheerfully, "but I was the hunted, not the huntress in our romance." She then smiled fondly at the blushing Natsuna, who grinned back at her. Luna got up from where she was lying and walked, just a bit unsteadily, towards them.  
  
"Hey, Luna," Usagi said, smiling at the newly slimmed down black cat, "want to provide me with any romantic advice?"  
  
"Sorry," the little black cat said, shaking her head sadly, "I don't think I've ever been in love before." She looked up at them intensely, and they sweatdropped under her gaze. "I'm going out for a walk, OK?" Luna asked, a little desperately.  
  
Usagi was about to protest it was too soon for her to be going out, but she saw the pleading in Luna's eyes, and felt a bit guilty. It was Usagi's fault for bringing Luna here when the cat was in heat, after all. "Be careful, please?" she asked instead.  
  
The cat nodded, relieved, and quickly made her way up the hallway and out the cat door. Artemis watched her go, wearing a sad expression that quickly became a pained one as Serena chomped down on his tail.  
  
It came from the depths of space, the cold dark regions far beyond the light and warmth of the solar system's yellow sun. It curved around the moon and flared a moment as it caught the sunlight, and a figure on it's surface stirred.  
  
She stood there and looked out over the Earth with an expression of pure, endless want that was etched on her beautiful, frozen features. A want that was once denied, but now, at long last, it would be fulfilled.  
  
"I was driven from this world once," she said harshly, "a bright silver light forced me away and it made me travel far from the path I wished to go." She smiled to herself coldly, "But now I have returned here, at last, and I will make this world mine!"  
  
She completely disappeared, only to suddenly reappear in the air high above the Earth's North Pole. Her chill breath whooshed outward, and the air's moisture condensed into female forms, five beautiful snow women.  
  
"Go forth, my snow dancers," the ice queen said to them softly, "and freeze this world to it's core! Make it eternally, perfectly beautiful, preserve it so that I may add it to my collection!" She laughed coldly.  
  
Each of the snow dancers made a soft, musical sound of their agreement before flying off, twisting and turning delicately in the air as they brought a wave of icy cold in their wake!  
  
Luna paced down the sidewalk, letting the crisp winter air revive her! She luxuriated in finally being left alone, something she hadn't felt in the long months of her pregnancy. She walked for nearly half an hour, until she staggered a bit.  
  
'I guess I haven't fully recovered from giving birth yet,' Luna thought shakily. She began to make her way back to Minako's apartment.  
  
Luna reached a crosswalk, and sat down on the sidewalk to wait for the lights to change. 'I'm so tired,' she thought shakily, her vision a bit blurred. The light changed, she got up and started across. She tripped, fell, and found to her horror she couldn't get up. She saw the lights change, struggled to pull herself up to her paws, then a car screeched around the corner.  
  
Before it could hit her, Luna felt strong arms grab her, and they both rolled clear of danger. The car's driver rolled down his window and yelled "Baka!" at them before driving off with a squeal of tires. Luna gazed up, saw a worried looking sandy hared figure looking down at her, then the world faded to black.  
  
Luna's eyes gradually opened, and she struggled to rise from the warmth of the soft mattress she lay on. Her entire body felt hot, despite a cool, damp cloth lying on her brow. The sandy-hared figure smiled down at Luna, soothing her with a gentle, caring touch.  
  
"Take it easy, you still have a fever," he gently assured her. The boy then took the cloth, carried it to a nearby basin where he soaked it in ice water and then he applied it to Luna's brow, gently brushing the beads of sweat away. Luna relaxed a bit, and the adrenalin that revived her faded as she slipped back into sleep.  
  
Luna's head felt much clearer when she woke up again. In fact, she felt great, much better than she had before! She rose, only to freeze at what she saw. The sandy-hared boy slept in the chair beside the bed, slumped a bit uncomfortably there. 'He stayed here all night,' Luna thought, surprised, 'to take care of me.' The memory of her nearly being run over flashed back, and she blushed a bit as she looked at her hero.  
  
As Luna lay there, she gazed curiously around the room; the apartment walls covered with many beautiful paintings and photographs of sports events. The young man was in most of them, holding as trophy of some kind up into the air. In one of the photos she could see a name on the jacket, it looked like "Tenoh". In others, he stood by a green haired woman, and Luna felt an odd stab of an unfamiliar emotion when she saw that.  
  
A bit of movement and Luna turned back to see the sandy hared figure looking down at her, a soft smile on his boyish face. "Looks like your feeling better," he said softly. Getting up from the chair and stretching, Luna saw something that seemed amiss.  
  
'Breasts,' Luna thought, surprised, and realized that her rescuer wasn't a very cute young man, but instead an unusually handsome woman. She turned, walked from the room and Luna could hear the sound of a can opener operating, then scraping noises, finally the woman walked back in carrying two trays.  
  
"Hope you like tuna," the woman said cheerfully, setting a tray on the floor. She helped Luna down from the bed then sat down beside the cat to eat a bowl of cereal. "I wonder what your name is, pretty kitty?" she said thoughtfully.  
  
"Lu..." Luna started, and then snapped her mouth shut. 'I can't let her know I can talk,' Luna thought desperately. The woman stopped to look at Luna oddly a moment, then she reached over to gently pet her.  
  
"Hmm," she said thoughtfully, "Blackie? How about Sable?" Luna didn't respond, and the young woman looked at Luna, trying to think of some other possibilities. She reached over and stirred the fur around Luna's crescent shaped mark, "Crescent?" Luna looked up at her expectantly, and the woman asked, "Are you Luna?"  
  
"Meow!" Luna said happily. She rubbed herself against the woman's leg, who smiled down at her gently, petting her softly.  
  
"My name's Haruka Tenoh," Haruka said down at her cheerfully, "it's very nice to meet you." She added thoughtfully, "Your owner gave you a nice name, Luna. He or she's probably very sophisticated."  
  
Luna sweatdropped at the instant mental image of Usagi laughing like a maniac over her mangas, tripping over her own two feet, and generally looking like a idiot. 'Not likely,' Luna thought to herself ruefully.  
  
Luna and Haruka each finished their own meals, and then Haruka gently picked Luna up into her strong arms and cheerfully showed her around the apartment. "The paintings are Michiru's," she said, "and this is our room. Setsuna has the one just across the hall." Haruka suddenly grinned and laughed a bit, "With everybody gone, I must be feeling lonesome to be talking to a cat!"  
  
Luna looked up at her, "Meow", and Haruka smiled down at her, scratching behind the ears and eliciting a marathon of purring.  
  
"You know, I could almost believe you understand every word I say," Haruka said thoughtfully, and Luna tried her best to look innocent.  
  
Makoto frowned fiercely over at Usagi, as she, Ami, Rei, Minako, Natsuna and Usagi all gathered for an emergency meeting in front of Natsuna and Minako's apartment building, "So Luna hasn't been back for over a day?"  
  
Usagi shook her head no, mournfully.  
  
Ami frowned a bit, "It could be she may have been too weak still, from the childbirth. Or..." she stopped to gave Usagi a thoughtful look, "did you say something to her, Usagi? Something that upset her, maybe?"  
  
Makoto's eyes widened, "Ami, do you think Luna ran away?" She turned quickly to Usagi. "Did you say something mean to her?" she asked Usagi forcefully.  
  
"I didn't say anything mean to her!" Usagi answered. "She's the one usually saying mean things to me, like 'Baka!' or 'Lazy!' or 'Dummy!' guys! If anybody was going to run away, it'd be me!" she protested tearfully.  
  
Rei stepped forward to moderate things, and said soothingly to Usagi "I'm sure Luna didn't run away." Turning to the others, she said, "Let's split up, and start to search."  
  
Minako and Natsuna, Makoto and Ami, and Rei and Usagi each peeled off in a different direction to try to find their friend. Rei smiled over at Usagi, and took her hand comfortingly. "Don't worry, Usagi," Rei said, "I'm sure we'll find Luna."  
  
"Thanks, Rei," Usagi answered, tears glimmering in her eyes. 


	12. Cold Snap! Part Two

Cold Snap: Part Two!  
  
Frantically searching the crowded streets for Luna, Rei and Usagi peeled around a corner, and both stopped dead in surprise! There should have been the sights and sounds of a bustling crowd in front of them, but instead the street was deathly silent. Everyone was sheathed in a thick layer of gleaming ice, utterly frozen and totally still.  
  
"What in the world is going on?" Rei exclaimed.  
  
Michiru looked across the table at Haruka with a great deal of amusement. "You really liked that cat, didn't you? Why don't we keep it, then?" she asked her curiously. Michiru picked up her cup of tea, sipping a little as she kept one eye looking out the window. Setsuna said they all had to be here, waiting for them to arrive, so...  
  
Haruka shrugged, and blushed a little bit. She had just met them here at the cafe, and both had fiercely quizzed her on why she was so late for the meeting. Somehow, they managed to worm out the tale of the cat's rescue.  
  
"She's obviously been domesticated," Haruka protested. "I think her owner would really miss her," she added softly. She shrugged and smiled, "So I tied a yellow ribbon around her neck and sent her home."  
  
Setsuna looked at her with more restrained, but visible amusement. "Did you figure out her name, at least?" Setsuna asked her curiously, picking her cup off the table and taking a drink. She took a moment to savor the pleasant flavor.  
  
"Luna, I think," Haruka answered them morosely.  
  
"Luna?!" Setsuna suddenly gasped, and then she began to choke on a mouthful of her tea. Both her fellow Outers looked at her with concern.  
  
"What's wrong?" Michiru asked her, alarmed.  
  
"Do you realize who's cat you may have rescued?" a slightly stunned Setsuna asked Haruka, a large sweatdrop on the back of her head.  
  
Before Haruka could answer the question, an overweight man ran by the window, obviously scared out of his mind. Suddenly, a blinding wave of snow passed over him, and he reappeared encased in a block of solid ice!  
  
"What in the world?" Haruka asked the room in general, just before the window they were sitting by exploded inwards in a wave of cold.  
  
Haruka grabbed Michiru to pull her to the relative safety inside the cafe even as Setsuna softly whispered to herself, "At last."  
  
Michiru and Haruka didn't have any time to respond to that, as even more ice rushed inside! The three ran right out the door, where they saw two very familiar figures standing, looking up into the overcast sky.  
  
Outside, the snow dancers descended, floating gently down to the street below. "What are they?" Natsuna asked Minako quietly, her official pistol cradled in her hands. The street was eerily quiet, the ice covered figures as still as death.  
  
"Big trouble," Minako answered her shortly. She raised her transformation wand to cry out, "Venus Star Power, Make UP!" Light and rainbow energy swirled around her to quickly form into the distinctive costume of Sailor V!  
  
The three had ducked reflexedly into a nearby alley to talk. "Lets go," Setsuna quickly said to Haruka and Michiru. "Haruka, transform and find Usagi and Rei. Michiru, go to Makoto and Ami. I'll stay here to help these two."  
  
"But they'll see us," a very confused Michiru protested, but Haruka was nodding to herself slightly. It looked like she understood what Setsuna was doing, at least.  
  
"For some reason you want them to meet us now," Haruka said to her thoughtfully. She smiled, reaching over to gently take Michiru's hand in hers for a moment in reassurance, "I'll be back, I promise." The two took off in different directions even as Setsuna ran back to where Minako and Natsuna were standing.  
  
"Pluto Planet Power!" the running Setsuna loudly yelled, raising her transformation wand over her head as the currents of time's energies itself began to wash over her and change her into the senshi of time.  
  
"Sparkling wide pressure!" Sailor Jupiter yelled, and her battle suit responded to the preset command being given it. A burst of gas formed around her carefully cupped hands, which her gloves then charged with pure electricity into a shining ball of white lightning. She threw it with deadly accuracy, and the snow dancer exploded in a blaze of light!  
  
"Very nice," a smiling Mercury complimented her. "It's my turn now," she continued, crying out "Shine Aqua Illusion!" A stream of super cooled liquid sprayed outward from her outstretched hands, sealing the next snow dancer in a solid casement of dense ice. Mercury then stepped forward and gently tapped it with her knuckle, shattering both the icy container and the snow dancer that was trapped inside.  
  
"Good job, Mercury," Jupiter started to say in return, only to stop as she looked up into the cloudy sky above them. "Oh hell," Sailor Jupiter whispered, pointing up where three more of the snow dancers descended towards them!  
  
"We'll have to try using our weapons together," Sailor Mercury said to her, keeping herself outwardly as calm as possible. But inside, her heart dropped in her chest. 'I don't know if we can handle three at once...' she worried.  
  
"Neptune Planet Power!" she whispered, gazing out at the two senshi from the shadows. Her wand cut a circle of water, which then washed over her to transform her from normal Michiru to the heroic Sailor Neptune. She stepped outside, ready to do battle!  
  
"Neptune Deep Submerge!" Ami and Makoto heard, and a shining sphere of water shot right by them! It soared to where the snow dancers flew towards them and destroyed all three in an instant's burst of power!  
  
Mercury and Jupiter whirled about, to see a totally unknown senshi standing there behind them. "Who are you?" Jupiter asked her softly.  
  
"Sailor Neptune, at your service," Neptune said with a small smile. She faltered a bit, as Mercury and Jupiter gave her looks of pure horror. "What's wrong?" she quickly asked.  
  
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen stood there back to back, facing off against a ring of the snow dancers, twisting and turning all around them. It would be almost beautiful, if they weren't so very deadly. "Ready, Sailor Moon?" Tuxedo Kamen asked her softly.  
  
Sailor Moon nodded, "Yes." Usagi didn't know what Rei had planned, but she suspected it was going to be interesting. She blushed a bit, reaching behind her to grasp Rei's hand and squeeze it for a moment, feeling Rei squeeze back.  
  
"Fire Blossom!" Tuxedo Kamen cried, leaping up into the air. A handful of roses suddenly burst into cheery flame as she cast them into their enemies. As each rose struck, the flames engulfed the snow dancer!  
  
Covering her back, Sailor Moon used her scepter's power to blast away any snow dancer that grew too close! But even their combined efforts weren't enough to defeat the many enemies that tried to swarm around and over them. "There's just too many," Sailor Moon barked, resorting to using her scepter to club a far too near snow dancer!  
  
On a nearby rooftop, a figure gazes down at the battle thoughtfully. The two had done pretty well so far, but the numbers were just against them. She steps forward, leaping down from the heights to the ground below, her lips already forming the words.  
  
"Uranus Planet Power, Make-Up!" Rei heard the voice cry out behind them, but she couldn't take the time to look. She wildly used her sword cane to drive the enemy back to reach Sailor Moon's side, reaching out to take her hand.  
  
"There is no way," Tuxedo Kamen vowed to her through gritted teeth, "I am going to loose you to these glorified snowmen!" Sailor Moon's eyes widened, and they shared a confident smile as more snow dancers descended.  
  
"Uranus World Shaking!" they heard, as a golden ball of energy skimmed across the ground to blast the remaining snow dancers to powder! They both whirled about, to see a sandy hared, boyish young woman in a senshi fuku make her way towards them.  
  
"It's good to see you well, Princess," Sailor Uranus said, taking Sailor Moon's hand, kneeling and kissing it lightly.  
  
"Wh... who are you?" Sailor Moon managed to stammer out.  
  
"Sailor Uranus," the young woman said, smiling at her charmingly.  
  
"She's a friend of yours?" Natsuna asked Sailor V dryly, as the dark hared senshi took her place at their side. The snow dancers faltered a moment, unsure what to do, their song taking on a keening note of inquiry.  
  
"I think we've met," Sailor V said, giving the dark hared woman a curious glance and recognizing the long hair and distinctive staff. "It was about ten years ago, in London, right?" she asked her calmly.  
  
"It's been a long time," she said with a respectful nod. "Sailor Pluto, at your service," she twirled her staff, casually striking a snow dancer down.  
  
Another descended, and before Sailor V or Pluto could act, Natsuna fired a single shot, and it exploded into a swirl of falling snow. "Looks like Rei's charm on my gun worked," Natsuna remarked to Sailor V dryly.  
  
Pluto looked at the two, obviously reassessing the situation. "I believe I can deal with the central mass of them, but I'll be weakened afterwards," she said calmly. "Can you protect me while I recover?" she asked.  
  
Sailor V gave her the 'V' for victory sign. "Of course," she answered, as if it was a extremely foolish question to have even asked her. Natsuna just silently raised her gun and nodded seriously, ready for action.  
  
"Pluto..." she started, marshaling her power, purple light shining around her, "Dead Scream!" A shining orb formed in front of her, the snow dancers diving down frantically to be picked off by Natsuna and Sailor V. She hoisted her staff and released the blast, the sphere expanding to tear the core from the mass of snow dancers in the air above them.  
  
In a few moments, it was all over.  
  
"And they just disappeared on you, too?" Rei asked to the others as they stood on a overpass using its height to help look around for Luna.  
  
"Pluto said that the Outers would be here for us if we needed them," Natsuna reported to the senshi calmly.  
  
Poor Minako still looked more than a little miffed that Sailor Pluto hadn't stuck around to explain herself to them. 'Disappearing after the battle was won was Sailor V's routine, darn it!' she thought to herself with a slightly self-mocking smile. 'Now I know how it feels,' she thought with a nearly silent chuckle.  
  
"I grabbed Neptune's arm, but she shook me off," Ami said softly, "she said that the Outers guard separately." She looked thoughtful, "I think she and her companions are the representatives of the outer planets, while we are the inner worlds."  
  
"That fits with something Pluto said when I first met her," Minako said reluctantly. All the senshi turned to gaze at her in surprise. "She said some fairly enigmatic things about the her allies watching over the Inners, but other than that," she shrugged.  
  
A uncomfortable looking Makoto reluctantly spoke up, "Do you want us to leave?" Usagi, Rei and Minako looked at her in great surprise. "The three new senshi, they can do the job much better than either Ami and I could, so..."  
  
"I'm surprised you'd say that," Usagi said, smiling reassuringly at Makoto and Ami, "You're part of the team, we rely on both of you."  
  
Makoto was about to say something more when Ami saw something moving through the crowd. "Look, it's Luna," she said happily.  
  
They all charged down the steps to meet the little black cat, Usagi immediately sweeping her up in her arms. She suddenly broke into twin streams of tears as she cried out "Luna, we were so worried about you!"  
  
Natsuna looked at the little black cat oddly, as it struggled in Usagi's arms. "Luna, where did that ribbon come from?" she asked, reaching out to touch the yellow ribbon that was tied around her neck gently.  
  
A little flush appeared on Luna's cheeks as she remembered what happened. Haruka had smiled down at Luna, gently petting her as she tied the silky ribbon around her neck. Luna had purred madly at her touch.  
  
"Come back and see me, anytime," she had said to Luna with a sad, almost lonely smile on her handsome face. Picking Luna up, she had taken her out of her apartment building and back to where she found Luna, before waving good-bye.  
  
Luna quickly shook away the memory as she asked them impatiently "What on Earth's been going on?"  
  
Nearby, three young women watched from the shadows before they finally walked away silently from the gathered senshi. "What were you going to say about that cat?" Haruka asked Setsuna, remembering something the senshi of time mentioned..  
  
Setsuna just shook her head. "It may not matter," she said to Haruka calmly. She looked back at them a moment, her gaze lingering on Rei, "At least now they know that the snow dancers are out there, and that we are ready to aide them."  
  
"I would have liked to talk to them some more," Michiru said a little bit wistfully. It would have been nice to make friends with the senshi.  
  
"You'll get the chance," a smiling Setsuna said, giving her friend a calm gaze. "This is all nowhere near being over." 


	13. Cold Snap! Part Three

Cold Snap! Part Three  
  
The Snow Queen gazed at her servants with an expression of honest surprise. "They defeated you?" she asked them angrily.  
  
The Snow Dancers sang a keening cry of apology, twirling and dancing even as they tried to hover there in midair.  
  
"There is another way," the Snow Queen said softly, "slower, but it will not attract their attention! Go to the north, and dance the cold there!" She commanded them, and the disappeared, only to reappear above the northern seas.  
  
There, they flew above the turbulent waters, coating them in a film of ice, building new glaciers in the normally open seas. And the world slowly grew colder.  
  
Usagi and Minako sat side by side on the car racing game, Minako having defeated the other girl with deceptive ease. Usagi looked at the GAME OVER screen in disbelief, then looked over at Minako, "I never knew an old lady could play video games that well."  
  
Minako made a face and hit Usagi in the upper arm. "Treat your elders with respect," she said with false dignity, then she grinned.  
  
Rei and Natsuna stood nearby, watching as their respective girlfriends sat there making fools of themselves. "Who's idea was it to come here anyway?" Rei asked Natsuna quietly, looking around at the Crown video game parlor.  
  
Natsuna grinned at Rei, "They're both game maniacs, sadly." She shook her head, watching them start up the machine for another round, "You wouldn't believe the amount of change they go through at times."  
  
Ami and Makoto watched them as well, Ami cuddled into the protective curve of Makoto's arm. Any people who might have had a problem with them had quickly decided that it was not wise to mess with Makoto. Especially after she broke the punching bag on the strength testing game with only one strong blow.  
  
Minako won yet another race, leaving Usagi in the virtual dust. Usagi threw her hands in the air in disgust before calling out to Rei, "Take me away from all this!" Rei laughed, helping pull Usagi up to her feet.  
  
"How about a Sundae?" Rei suggested to Usagi, and she grinned as her girlfriend's eyes lit up happily. "Let's go," she laughed, taking her over to the sundae stand.  
  
"Who's going to race me now?" Minako complained cutely. Both Ami and Makoto quickly made negative hand motions and Natsuna had to laugh at the cute little pout that appeared on her girlfriend's face.  
  
"Most people who come here have learned not to take you on," Natsuna chuckled. Minako crossed her arms in front of her and was about to say something when a figure smoothly climbed into the other seat.  
  
"I'll race you," the sandy hared, very pretty young man said with a charming smile. He was still in his school uniform, and it looked very good on him.  
  
Minako looked up at Natsuna questioningly, and the older woman nodded to her just a little. "Sure," she smiled at him.  
  
"I'll give you a lap head start, just to make it fair," he said, sitting back and not even touching the game's controls.  
  
Minako gave him a considering look, then she smiled slowly. "If you really want to," she said with a little grin on her face. The game started, she leaned over in concentration, and focused her full attention on the screen.  
  
A few moments later and he looked at the screen in front of him with an expression of honest disbelief on his handsome face. "I... lost?" he said in a certain amount of shock and disbelief. Soft laughter came from behind them, and a green hared girl walked over to put her hand on the sandy hared figure's shoulder.  
  
"Call all the newspapers," she said with a impish smile, "Tenoh Haruka actually lost at something." She looked over to where Minako was sitting, "Tell me, was she cocky enough to give you a one lap lead?"  
  
"She," Minako echoed her words in surprise, then she shook her head with a smile. "Yes, I'm afraid she did give me the lead," she answered the question with a grin. "Otherwise, I don't think I would have beat her," Minako conceded.  
  
"I'm Kaioh Michiru," the green hared girl said, offering her hand politely, "and my still slightly shell shocked girlfriend is Tenoh Haruka."  
  
Minako stood to shake her hand, even as a recovered Haruka got up beside them. Minako and Natsuna introduced themselves and their friends, and the whole group decided to retire for a round of hot fudge sundaes.  
  
Ami looked at the two young woman admiringly. She was so surprised by their frankness about their sexuality that she was almost speechless. Makoto stepped up to smile and bow, "Nice to meet you."  
  
"I still can't believe that I lost," Haruka softly sighed, and mournfully ate another spoonful of her ice-cream.  
  
"Don't mind her," Michiru said with a smile, "it just doesn't happen to her very often." She looked at the mixed group, fixing her gaze on Minako and Natsuna, the adults amount the teens. "Are you here with one of your children?" she asked, her gaze sliding to Usagi.  
  
"I'm not old enough to have kids," Minako cried out in shock, nearly spraying them with her mouthful of sundae.  
  
Rei was patting a sputtering Usagi on the back, even as she smiled to Michiru, "We're all friends, actually." She suddenly realized that she had no convincing story in mind to explain how they all met. Other than the truth, which was totally unsuitable.  
  
Michiru blushed a bit, "I'm terribly sorry." Her voice got teasing as she added, "There is quite a resemblance, though," and looked between the two girls meaningfully.  
  
Ami, Makoto, Rei and Natsuna were all visibly trying to hold back their laughter as Usagi and Minako tried to find anything to say in return. The effort became too great, and they just broke up laughing.  
  
"We'd better take off before we do some real damage," Haruka said, getting up from her seat. "It was nice meeting you all," she added in parting.  
  
Michiru smiled sweetly. "Sorry for any misunderstanding," she said with a small bow. She added, "I hope we run into you again soon."  
  
Outside the Crown the walked closely together for protection from the unseasonably cold weather. "The Senshi are good people," Michiru said to Haruka quietly. "Do you think they like us?" she asked her a bit nervously.  
  
"I still can't believe I lost the game," Haruka complained with a little smile on her face. Michiru punched at her arm hard, "Ow!" Haruka smiled down at her lover reassuringly, "No, I think it'll be fine."  
  
They walked together for a bit, but Michiru pulled away from her once they reached a certain corner. "I have violin practice tonight," she sighed sadly, and looked up at Haruka entreatingly "will you be OK at home without me?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sure I'll manage," Haruka said with a smile and a little shrug. But despite what she said to Michiru, she made her way back home a bit sadly, only giving a nod to the doorman of their apartment building.  
  
"You have a guest waiting," he said with a small smile.  
  
Haruka tensed, wondering if an enemy had somehow discovered their home. She made her way quickly down the hallway and around the corner to her door, coming to a sudden stop.  
  
Luna uncurled from where she lay in front of Haruka's door, looking up at her to "Meow" at her softly, the yellow ribbon still snugly tied around her neck.  
  
Later the next day Rei smiled fondly at her Grandfather as they worked together to clear the piles of leaves all over the walkway. The fall had seemed to come much faster this year. Her breath showed in puffs of white as she worked. 'Is it just me,' she thought to herself, 'or is it much colder than it should be?'  
  
"We've got company," Grandpa whispered to her softly, adding with a smile, "and she's a looker, too." He retreated inside to quickly tidy himself for the pretty lady.  
  
Rei shook her head at her grandfather's behavior before she took a look up to see the lady who was approaching them.  
  
The tall woman walked up the shrine steps, her black hair swinging around her. She was dressed very well, looking like a successful business woman. The only out of place thing was the green tint to her dark hair.  
  
Rei frowned, she looked strangely familiar, as if she had met her a long, long time ago. She shook herself, and smiled to the woman, "Welcome to the shrine."  
  
"Thank you," she said with a smile. She stood there a moment, hesitating, before she continued, "My name is Setsuna."  
  
"Rei Hino," she said in reply, returning the taller woman's bow. She saw something almost amused in her eyes as she stood back up.  
  
"I know," Setsuna responded. At Rei's sudden frown she continued, "You are the famous miko of this shrine, are you not?"  
  
"Not so famous," Rei said with a little blush.  
  
Setsuna reached out to take the surprised girl's arm, smiling at her sweetly as she asked, "Why don't you tell me about it?"  
  
Rei gently pulled her arm free, and Setsuna frowned slightly. 'Doesn't she feel the bond between us?' Setsuna thought angrily.  
  
"A miko's life isn't all that interesting," Rei said to her dismissively. Before Setsuna could say anything in reply, Rei's Grandfather bustled out, his robes completely spotless and what remained of his hair combed back neatly. Rei nearly broke out laughing as he stood by Setsuna, smiling up at the tall woman winningly.  
  
It was obvious that the other woman had no idea how to deal with the situation, and quickly excused herself. Rei saw her give a glance towards her over her shoulder, a determined expression on her beautiful face.  
  
"Something strange going on here," Rei said to herself quietly. Her face lit up, as she saw Usagi walking up the shrine steps towards her.  
  
Luna went home from another day spent at Haruka's apartment, feeling oddly troubled. 'It's not like there's anyone else there,' she thought to herself. So far she had only seen the green hared girl there once, the rest of the time Luna was alone with her.  
  
Haruka had talked about that today, how Michiru was preparing for a big concert and because of that she needed to practice her violin a great deal. Haruka had said it all calmly, but her expression had seemed incredibly lonely to Luna.  
  
The sandy hared woman had held Luna close, sitting in her favorite chair, petting her gently for a few minutes, then she began to speak. She talked about many things, in that half aware way people had with pets, about her relationship with Michiru, her life and her racing. The way she talked about the races, it was almost like Luna could feel the wind through her own fur.  
  
Luna cut through the park for a shortcut to Minako's home, but she slowed when she saw two familiar figures sitting on a bench together. Rei had her arm across Usagi's shoulder as they watched the sun slowly begin to dip below the horizon.  
  
Usagi said something, and Rei turned to her with a slowly widening smile. She pulled Usagi closer to her, then she slid a finger under Usagi's chin to tip her face up a little. Rei bent down towards her slowly and gently touched her lips to Usagi's in a sweet kiss.  
  
Luna watched, and remembered, even long into the evening. Usagi was getting ready to go to bed when Luna got up the nerve to ask her, "What do you and Rei do, when you're alone?"  
  
Usagi looked a bit surprised at Luna's interest, but she answered her gamely. "We talk about our days, what's been happening with our lives. She talks about her work at the shrine, and then..." she trailed off meaningfully.  
  
"And then?" Luna asked Usagi eagerly from her perch on top of the dresser.  
  
"She usually falls asleep on the couch from working too hard," Usagi admitted with a sigh. Luna fell right off the dresser with a loud thump. "Are you all right?" Usagi asked her worriedly.  
  
"I'm fine," Luna said, after shaking her head to clear any dizziness. She jumped back up on to the dresser, noticing Usagi working to open a small glass bottle. She opened it, and the soft sent of roses wafted out. "What's that?"  
  
"Popouri," Usagi explained, letting Luna smell some. She sat down and smiled up at Luna, "It's okay, when Rei falls asleep. I know she does that because she feels safe with me."  
  
Luna digested that thoughtfully. She asked tentatively, "What's it like, kissing?" Luna blushed furiously, thinking of what she saw earlier.  
  
"Kissing?" Usagi echoed. She smiled dreamily, "It's like the sweetest chocolate melting in your mouth." She reached out reflexedly, pulling a struggling Luna close as she flopped back on the bed with a smile.  
  
Once Usagi was asleep, Luna got up on the dresser and struggled to open the small bottle of popouri. Eventually, after receiving a mild concussion from knocking the bottle over, she got it open and dusted herself lightly. She headed off into the night until she reached the apartment building, then she carefully climbed up the outside to Haruka's apartment. She slid the window open and noticed that Haruka was sleeping alone again.  
  
Haruka's eyes opened and she smiled sadly when she saw Luna. "At least one of my ladies is here tonight," she said as she reached out to gently pull Luna close to her. The scent of roses reached her, and she smiled sleepily, "That smells nice."  
  
Haruka dozed off, a little smile lingering on her face. Luna slipped out of her grip to stand by Haruka's face, bending over her slightly. She hesitated a moment, then bent her face forward to kiss Haruka gently on the lips. 


	14. Cold Snap! Part Four

Part Four  
  
Rei leaned over the table, as if she was conveying a deep secret, "I saw Luna coming home earlier today, and when I called out to her, she completely ignored me." She added thoughtfully, "Luna looked really happy."  
  
Ami frowned slightly in thought, "I wonder what's going on with her lately. I noticed she hasn't been around Minako's house much lately either."  
  
Mokoto looked over at Rei thoughtfully, "Coming home happy. I wonder if she's in love?"  
  
"Love?" Usagi repeated happily, a goofy smile on her pretty face.  
  
Artemis jerked up on hearing that, then he slumped down again. Minako looked at him in concern as she said, "It may not be love, you know." She thought quickly, "I mean, there's lots of other things that make girls happy!"  
  
"Oh, come on," Mokoto scoffed. "It's not like Luna can have chocolate or something. No, I think its love! But I wonder who it is?"  
  
Artemis slinked slowly out of the room, his tail dragging behind him.  
  
"Be a little more sensitive," Natsuna chided them softly. "You know how Artemis feels about Luna," she said quietly.  
  
"What? What?" Usagi said, sounding honestly perplexed as she looked back and forth between her friends.  
  
Minako looked at her in disbelief. "You mean you didn't notice that Artemis is in love with Luna?" she asked Usagi.  
  
Usagi sweatdropped. "But I just thought they were friends," she said with a cute little frown on her face.  
  
"Baka," Minako sighed, even as Usagi facefaulted.  
  
Outside, Luna slipped out of the building, but came to a sudden stop. Artemis smiled at her hesitantly, his tail twitching with his nervousness. "It's been a long time, Luna," her said to her softly, trying to get her to meet his eyes.  
  
"Hello, Artemis," Luna said hesitantly, looking away from him slightly.  
  
"The kittens miss you," he said to her softly, even as Luna began to walk away.  
  
Luna's body stiffened at that, and she hesitated. "I'm sorry, Artemis," she finally said, her voice so low it was almost unhearable, "but I have to go." Luna took off at a dead run, leaving Artemis standing there behind her.  
  
Michiru frowned at Haruka, complaining "I don't understand what's wrong with you today." She paced across the floor, even as Haruka looked out the window thoughtfully, almost seeming to be waiting for something.  
  
"There's nothing's wrong," Haruka said to her softly in reply, adding under her breath "at least nothing you've been here to notice."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Michiru asked her indignantly.  
  
Before Haruka could say anything, there was a soft scratching at the window. With a much more friendly smile than the one she had been giving Michiru, she quickly pushed the window open and let Luna inside.  
  
"Meow," Luna said happily, even as Haruka scratched her gently behind the ears.  
  
Michiru watched this going on with an odd expression on her face. "And what's with the black hair all over the bed?" she complained. "That cat spends way too much time here lately."  
  
"At least some girl is spending time with me," Haruka shot back. "You've been so busy with your practices that I never see you!"  
  
"What? With your races you're gone as often," Michiru said weakly. She wasn't used to fighting with Haruka, and it shook her greatly.  
  
Haruka looked away from her, stroking the cat gently behind the ears. Michiru took a few steps forward, reaching out as if to grab at Luna, even as Haruka shielded her. "What do you think you're doing?" Haruka demanded.  
  
Before anything else could be said the connecting door opened and Setsuna strode in. "We've got a problem," she announced calmly.  
  
"Yes, we do," Michiru said, glaring at Luna.  
  
"Bigger than that," Setsuna said dryly. "The winter is becoming permanent, and we need to move quickly to stop it!"  
  
A tower rose in the far north, a tower of hard, dense ice. The snow dancers swirled around it, as the ice spread across the water, covering the sea in a shell of ice. It grew colder and colder, as the snow began to fall faster.  
  
"Go forth," the Snow Queen ordered her servants, "It is time at last! The world has grown cold enough that you can complete your task, and seal this world away in ice!"  
  
They sang out their reply, and then swept out to the four corners of the globe!  
  
Artemis shook his head, his eyes widening as he jumped to his feet. "I remember!" Artemis exclaimed, bringing the meeting to a roaring halt.  
  
"Remember what?" Rei asked, pushing her short hair out of her face.  
  
"This happened once before! A Queen of snow and ice came to Earth, seeking to freeze it to add this world to her collection." He frowned, trying to remember, "She was driven away by Silver Crystal power of hope and love!"  
  
"Silver Crystal power," Ami echoed. She frowned slightly, "She's trying to freeze the Earth, correct," she quizzed Artemis. At his nod of agreement she pulled out a laptop, emblazoned with her Mercury symbol.  
  
"Wow," Usagi said admiringly, "does it have any games?"  
  
Rei sweatdropped at that, and Makoto chuckled softly. "Sorry Usagi," Ami laughed, "I set it up for official Sailor business." She worked intently for a moment, her expression growing grim, "The North pole. She's up there, changing the weather patterns and expanding the ice caps."  
  
"So we go up there and stop her?" Natsuna asked softly.  
  
There were nods of agreement all around the group. "Look at the news!" Rei cried, pointing at the TV screen. Something was happening out in Tokyo Bay...  
  
Even as they talked, the snow dancers spread the cold across the world. Every major city, from New York to Paris to Tokyo was visited by the keening figures, leaving only cold silence in their wake. Out in the bay, a tower of ice rises, and the queen stands atop it triumphant.  
  
"This world is mine at last," she sighed happily.  
  
A snow dancer keened in alarm, "World Shaking!" the voice cried, and it exploded in a burst of energy!  
  
The dancers began to gather to face the threat, and another voice cried, "Deep Submerge!" A tidal wave seemed to swallow the dancers up, leaving nothing behind.  
  
The snow queen whirled, meeting Pluto's calm gaze. "Dead Scream," she said quietly, and a purple bolt of death hurled towards the queen herself, only to be stopped by the sacrifice of one of her snow dancers.  
  
"So," the snow queen said quietly, "the little sailors are here to stop me. Do you not yet understand the futility of your quest?" She gestures to the tower, and the dancers flow out of it, ten, twenty, and more, marshaling in the air above them. "Now, destroy them!" she commanded.  
  
"Fire Blossom!" Tuxedo Kamen cried out, casting burning roses to drive the first rank of snow dancers back. They flinched, afraid of the open flame.  
  
"Venus Love Me Chain!" Sailor V cried, casting the shining chain across the enemy's lines.  
  
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Sailor Jupiter growled, and threw a massive ball lightning to tear through several of the dancers.  
  
"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Sailor Mercury cried, following up against a confused cluster of snow dancers, destroying them in one move.  
  
But more and more dancers appeared, and before they could perform any more attacks they were struck down, singly or in pairs. Neptune saw Uranus go down and felt a stab of regret, a distraction she regretted a moment later. Mercury fell with a cry, spurring Jupiter to try and fight to her side, a effort doomed to failure. Finally they were all down, the battlefield silent.  
  
"Now, at last, it will be done," the snow queen sighed.  
  
"We're not finished yet!" a voice cried out. Sailor Moon stood ready for battle, Natsuna and Luna at her side. "Go help the others," she instructed her friends, before turning to the snow queen.  
  
Luna ran across the battlefield, only to skid to a sudden stop. She looked at Sailor Uranus in shocked recognition, blurting out "That's Haruka!"  
  
"Another senshi?" the queen barked angrily. "I have had enough of this!" She formed a ball of glowing cold power and cast it as Sailor Moon.  
  
Sailor Moon raised her scepter, the words coming easily to her lips, "Heart Ache!" Her power warred with the queen's, but in the end it wasn't enough. The explosion blew her off her feet, ice shards stinging her cheeks as she leapt away.  
  
She staggered a moment, then took her locket in hand. It opened, revealing a shining crystal than slid free, floating between her hands.  
  
"No, Usagi," Luna found herself crying, "you can't use the Silver Crystal! You'll die!"  
  
Sailor Uranus felt herself returning to wakefulness, and found herself looking at the cat in deep surprise. 'It talked,' she thought dazedly, 'the cat talked!'  
  
"Alone maybe," she said, the soft light of the Crystal washing over her, "but I'm not alone!" She called out to the others, "Help me! Together, we can beat her!"  
  
Tuxedo Kamen rose to join her side first, and they shared a warm smile. Love seemed to leap between them, a power greater than the cold that was sweeping down over them. Pluto saw it, and felt her heart clench with jealousy.  
  
Sailor V looked at Sailor Moon in pride. "Usagi's really getting good at this," she smiled. She felt a gentle push at her back, and Natsuna gave her a confident smile.  
  
She hefted her gun. "Get this done," Natsuna said, grinning slightly, "I'll cover you!"  
  
Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter hesitated, then joined the circle. Finally, Uranus and Neptune stepped up, the circle closing. They all held hands, as shafts of light from the Crystal illuminated them all, linking them into something greater, somehow.  
  
The snow queen attacked, and they countered with a shaft of pure white light! "No," the queen gasped, "it's the same light! The light that exiled me before!"  
  
The snow dancers charged, trying to overwhelm the sailors and destroy them! Natsuna fired her charmed bullets rapid fire, but suddenly one swept towards Sailor Uranus. Luna saw it coming, and something within her cried out!  
  
And was answered. A single bolt of crystal light struck her, and Luna was transformed. The black-hared woman gestured, and it was like giant claws tore the snow beast apart! She and Natsuna demolished snow dancers, even as the battle came to a head!  
  
The snow queen screamed as the beam tore through her, shattering her into powder! The tower of ice fell, and the beam continued onward into space to meet the comet itself. In moments, it was nothing but dust.  
  
Sailor Moon cried out as the crystal flared in her hands, a wave of power washing over them all. As it passed, they realized they had all been transformed back to their civilian identities! The young women gazed at each other in shock, their secrets revealed.  
  
The human Luna swayed on her feet, feeling the transformation begin to fade. She ran, pressing her body to Haruka's and stealing from the surprised woman one lingering kiss. Haruka took the dark hared woman's shoulders in her hands, but in a final flash of light found herself holding the cat in her hands. Luna frantically wiggled free, running away to jump into Usagi's arms.  
  
It was a bit warmer now, as they all gathered by the water to look out over the bay. The unnatural cold is gone, only a more reasonable winter chill lingering in the air. Everyone is spaced out somewhat uncomfortably, the inners in one bunch, the outers in another.  
  
Haruka and Michiru stand a little apart, talking quietly. "Do you think they'll be all right?" Usagi found herself asking Rei.  
  
"I think so," Rei said softly, "they seem really happy together." She looked around with a frown, "Where's Luna, anyway?"  
  
"Back at the house," Usagi sighed. "She's left Minako's place and taken the kittens with her," she added quietly.  
  
"Poor Artemis," Ami sighed quietly. She was snuggled into the protective warmth of Makoto's arm.  
  
Setsuna sighed, watching Usagi and Rei together. She went over to Haruka and Michiru's side, where she simply said, "Brace yourselves."  
  
"Brace ourselves?" Haruka echoed.  
  
"For what?" Michiru asked.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" the voice cried, growing both louder and closer. Thump! Usagi and Rei found themselves sprawled out under a young woman who had fallen out of the sky! She scrambled off of them, then started to help them up.  
  
"Usagi-mama?" the pink haired teen said, gazing at Usagi happily. She pulled the shocked girl into a hug. She peered over Usagi's shoulder, and her grin grow wider, "Rei-papa!"  
  
Before anyone could find anything to say, it happened again! Haruka and Michiru were flattened by an older girl, who leapt off to offer them assistance quickly. Both woman instantly recognized her.  
  
"Hotaru?" Michiru gasped out.  
  
She looked back and forth between them. "Haruka-papa? Michiru-mama? What are you doing here?" she asked, sounding a bit surprised.  
  
The only one not surprised to see the two young ladies was Setsuna. "Small Lady, Hotaru, you're just in time," she said with a little smile.  
  
To be continued in: The Timelost! Coming soon... 


	15. Heart Snatchers: Interlude Two

Interlude: Heart Snatchers  
  
The two teens had collapsed almost at the same time, and left the other Senshi shaken and bewildered by their sudden arrival. Rei had volunteered the shrine's spare bedroom for the two teens, and a scout meeting was hurriedly convened to try and figure out what was going on. They gathered around the room, forming into little groups. The Outers stood together as a trio, while the Inners stood awkwardly nearby.  
  
They settled into a few chairs and around the low table, pouring some tea and getting ready. "I noticed that you three seemed to know that dark hared girl?" Natsuna quietly asked the Outers, getting right to the facts in her typically police officer style.  
  
Michiru nodded, an odd expression on her beautiful face. "But the last time we saw her, she was only a child," she said, sounding honestly confused.  
  
"A baby, almost," Haruka agreed with her softly.  
  
"So where did she come from?" Minako asked them with a little frown.  
  
Haruka and Michiru looked at each other first, then both of them looked over at Setsuna. She sighed softly, stepped forward, and took up the job of explaining, "We first met her when we were battling the heart snatchers..."  
  
  
  
The girl cried out, a shining light glowing from her chest, then a eight pointed pure heart crystal appeared in front of her. The creature snatched it up, then bounded away across the city.  
  
Without it's knowledge, three figures followed back to it's lair.  
  
  
  
"You let it take a heart crystal from someone?" Usagi cut in, her eyes wide with surprise. "Sailor V and I faced them once or twice, and loosing those crystals left people almost lifeless. What if you couldn't get it back?"  
  
Haruka sighed softly, but patiently explained to her, "If we couldn't save her, it would have been sad. But because of that we were able to save many others."  
  
The frown on Usagi's face showed that she wasn't likely to agree with that idea anytime soon. Haruka was a bit surprised to see a little nod from Minako, though.  
  
  
  
The creature dropped into the sewers, and the three followed it down into the depths below the city. They continued through the tunnels, until Sailor Pluto stopped them with a single wave of her hand. "There's a dimensional shift here," she murmured, her time staff glowing faintly in the darkness of the tunnel.  
  
"Which means what, exactly?" Sailor Uranus asked softly.  
  
Pluto shrugged. "It means we may not be able to make it back home very easily," she explained with a small smile on her face.  
  
"We can't stop now," Sailor Neptune said with determination, and Uranus nodded her agreement. "There is too much at stake to turn back now," she continued.  
  
"We are all agreed," Pluto said with a nod of her own. "Which means it's time for this," she said, leveling her staff at the two of them. The gem on it's end glowed softly, then a strange light began to come from Uranus and Neptune's chests.  
  
With a painful cry and a burst of rainbow light, a sword exploded out from Uranus' chest, even as Neptune cried out, a mirror suddenly floating before her as well.  
  
"What in the world?" Michiru managed to get out, her breath coming labored as if from a long swim in rough waters.  
  
Pluto reached out to steady both of them, giving them a few moments to try and recover. "These are your talismans," she quietly explained, "like the Garnet Orb on my time staff, and they will grant you power in battle."  
  
The golden sword seemed to fit Uranus' hand like she was born to wield it. The silver mirror shone in Neptune's hands, and for a moment she was lost looking into it's depths. A small smile teased Neptune's lips as she murmured softly, "Sword, Mirror and Gem, the three ancient treasures of Japan. A coincidence?"  
  
Pluto just smiled mysteriously, and chose not to answer that. "Are you ready?' she asked them. At their two nods, she smiled and said, "Let's go."  
  
The three charged down the tunnel, then out into a massive laboratory. A man in a white lab coat was with the heart snatcher, and a woman also dressed in a lab coat stood nearby. The crystal glowed in the man's hands, even as he frowned, lost in thought.  
  
"Professor," she cried out, seeing them rush in, "intruders!"  
  
He turned, and they saw what seemed to be a normal looking blonde haired man, wearing a pair of rather odd looking glasses. One lense was clear, the other not, concealing the eye beneath it, and etched with a odd star pattern. The Professor called out to his assistant "Kaori, you must delay them for me! I must awaken Mistress Nine!"  
  
But before he could take a step, Sailor Pluto was there. The pure heart crystal was snatched from his hand, and in a single gesture, she made it disappear. He cursed her, running by before she could try and stop him.  
  
"Diamonds!" Kaori cried out, throwing her hands up. There was a rattling throughout the lab, as if pipes were being strained by liquid running through them. "Come forth!"  
  
The walls and floor almost seemed to explode as a thick red fluid poured out to engulf the three of them. Made up of hundreds of red slimy looking creatures to surrounded them all, attempting to drown them in their oozing bodies.  
  
The sword appeared in Uranus' hand, and in a single sweep she sliced a massive channel through the ooze. The creatures howled in pain, pulling back allowing Neptune to bring her mirror into play, blasting at the monsters.  
  
Sailor Pluto almost seemed to disappear, only to reappear right in front of Kaori. "I'm sorry," she said to the startled woman, leveling her staff right at her. "Dead Scream!" she cried out, unleashing her attack on her at point blank range.  
  
Kaori didn't even have the chance to get out a scream.  
  
Turning from the ashes that were all that was left of her enemy, she saw that Uranus and Neptune had the creatures well in hand. With only a bit of her help, they mopped up the last few confused creatures, then they ran off after the Professor.  
  
"He ran this way," Pluto said, leading them down a hall to reach what almost seemed like a child's bedroom. Lamps and dolls were arrayed what almost looked like a throne, and the Professor was up there shaking a young woman.  
  
Her black hair was shoulder length, and she looked almost delicate. At least, until you looked into her eyes, that were glowing a sullen red. "I'm too weak," the alien voice came from her lips, "and she fights within me."  
  
"You must fight," the Professor pleaded with her, "or all our work here will have been for nothing!" She got up, her form shifting from that of a child to an adult's.  
  
"I will try," she said. She looked over at them, gesturing as she threw bolts of power at them, "I am Mistress Nine! Fall before me!"  
  
The power she used against them was terribly immense, enough to force them all down to their knees. Again and again Mistress Nine hammered them down, but they still struggled onward, refusing to give up.  
  
Neptune looked up, and saw something that made her blood run cold: on Mistress Nine's brow a symbol glowed in the near darkness, a symbol very familiar to her. "Is that what I think it is?' she managed to ask the others.  
  
"It can't be," Uranus said hoarsely, "that thing can't be a Senshi."  
  
"Saturn," Pluto said to herself softly. She seemed to suddenly reach a decision, "Uranus, Neptune," she said intensely, "point your talismans towards me."  
  
"What good will that do?' Neptune questioned, even as she began to follow her friend's instructions, pointing her mirror towards Pluto.  
  
"Besides being our weapons, there is another purpose of our talismans," she explained to them calmly, "they can summon Sailor Saturn." She brought her staff to the other's talismans, and Mistress Nine suddenly screamed!  
  
It almost looked like her body was being torn apart from within, as the power and essence of Sailor Saturn struggled to be free. Finally, in a blaze of light, a glowing female form appeared, carrying a fearsome looking glave in her hands, an expression of calm serenity on her face.  
  
She turned to Mistress Nine first, a weakened figure struggling to stand. A single sweep of her glave, and she was gone, only falling ashes left in her wake. She looked at the professor, and seemed to soften slightly. The strike was more delicate, somehow, and... something was torn free of him, slain by the glave. He cried out, the glasses fell to the ground, and his face was wet with tears.  
  
"Hotaru?" he questioned the glowing figure softly.  
  
She nodded to him, then she turned to the Outers. Sailor Saturn's voice rang with a strange sorrow as she said to them, "It is finished. The one they sought to bring here is trapped between here and there, forever."  
  
"What about you?" Neptune asked her softly.  
  
"My body was too badly damaged by Mistress Nine," Saturn said softly, "I can not return to it." She began to fade, almost like a ghost passing on.  
  
"Wait," Pluto said, stepping up beside Saturn. She spoke into Saturn's ear quietly, and after a few moments she nodded slightly. "Will you do this?" Pluto asked her softly.  
  
Saturn nodded, her eyes closed, and she began to concentrate. Her energy began to shrink, condensing, becoming smaller and smaller. As it shrank, it became denser, harder too see through, until with a soft cry the baby fell towards the ground. Pluto caught her in a smooth gesture, gently cradling the child in her arms.  
  
She walked to the crying man, kneeling at his side. "Watch over her, Professor Tomoe," Pluto said to him softly. As he took the child into his shaking hands she added, "You see, she has a glorious destiny waiting for her."  
  
"Thank you," the Professor wept, "you've saved us both." He looked up at them, his eyes joyful, "What can I do to repay you?"  
  
"Love your daughter, and take good care of her," Uranus said, smiling a little. "That will be thanks enough, I think."  
  
They began to walk away, when Neptune asked, "What happened to the heart crystal?"  
  
Pluto held out her hand, and the crystal appeared from midair, dropping back down into her hand. "Displaced it forward in time," she said with a shrug. It glowed softly between her fingers as she said, "Let's put this back where it belongs."  
  
And with that, the three Outers were gone.  
  
  
  
"So this Hotaru," Ami said, "who became that little baby, is one of the two teens sleeping in Rei's spare bedroom?"  
  
Haruka didn't answer, instead rising to her feet. "Rei," she said, seemingly lost in thought, "could I use your phone?"  
  
Rei blinked, then "All right, I guess so."  
  
Haruka picked up the phone, dialing a number from memory. "Hello?" A little smile appeared on her face, "We're looking forward to seeing her, too. Is she all right? Hmm. Right." She nodded, adding, "Thank you very much."  
  
"You called Professor Tomoe?" Michiru asked her.  
  
Haruka nodded, "Hotaru's there, she's fine. She's still aging faster than normal, and she wants to see her Aunts Michiru and Setsuna again."  
  
"And Uncle Haruka?" Michiru teased her gently.  
  
A blush marked Haruka's cheeks, "You're not going to let me live that down, will you?" At the amused glances of the others, she explained "She still hasn't figured out I'm a woman."  
  
"One of the hazards of time travel," Setsuna said quietly, "being in two places at once." At everyone's startled glances she elaborated "They're both from the future." 


	16. Timelost! Part One

The Timelost: Part One  
  
Sailor Saturn pulled herself back up to her feet, almost as if by the pure force of her willpower alone. She leaned on her glave, pushing her dark hair out of her eyes with a shaking hand. Closing her eyes, she pulled herself up, standing there straight and true. "I will not let you win," she said calmly, leveling her glave at her assembled enemies.  
  
Prince Diamond smiled, shaking his head in honest if somewhat reluctant admiration. "Make it easier on yourself," the silver hared man urged her, "give up. The Queen and the Senshi are sealed in the palace, and the Outers can't break through our barrier keeping them out."  
  
Emerald laughed shrilly, her voice grating on them all as she tossed her green hair back. "There's no one left to come to your rescue, little girl," she mocked Saturn.  
  
A soft voice rang in Saturn's ear, "Not quite true." A pink light swelled around her, and a figure appeared beside her!  
  
"Sailor Moon!" Saturn cried out, looking over at her lover in shock. Chibi-Usa stood beside her, her scepter pointed at their surprised adversaries. Her costume was much like her Mother's, but a bit more pink. 'Well,' Saturn had to admit, 'it's a lot more pink.'  
  
"No Senshi ever fights alone," the new Sailor Moon said coolly, helping to take Saturn's weight. A soft light seemed to enfold them both, and all of Saturn's wounds began to disappear.  
  
"It's too dangerous," Saturn quietly urged her, "you shouldn't be here!"  
  
"I think you're right," Sailor Moon answered with a impish little smile, then she loudly declared, "neither of us should!" She held a small object up, it almost looked like a key, and that pink light built up around them again.  
  
"Stop them," Diamond roared, finally realizing what was happening to them. But before Sapphire, Rubius or Emerald could make a move, the two teens were gone, having disappeared into the timestream itself.  
  
All four of them felt a sudden chill, and they quickly turned to see... her. She stood in the darkest shadows, carrying a familiar looking, key shaped staff, and from what they could see of her face, she was clearly enraged. "You let them get away, my Senshi" she whispered to them, "even with all the power I have granted you."  
  
Diamond opened his mouth to try and protest their innocence, and with a single blow she struck him down with the staff. He fell, spitting his blood and teeth on the ground.  
  
"We'll go after them," Sapphire said, the blue hared young man stepping forward bravely to face their dark mistress.  
  
She looked at him calmly, "You had better." And with that, she was gone.  
  
  
  
Hotaru felt herself beginning to return to wakefulness, and part of her wanted to just lay there in the comforting warmth of the small bed. She smiled sleepily at Chibi-Usa, her arms gently wrapped around the other young lady.  
  
'Where are we?" Hotaru found herself wondering, looking around her curiously.  
  
She could hear voices talking nearby, and her eyes widened as she recognized them all. 'The Senshi,' she thought, and the memories of her arrival here began to leak back. Falling out of the timestream into midair, then falling, landing on... someone.  
  
Hotaru's smile widened, as she heard a familiar voice going into her lecture mode: "One of the hazards of time travel, being in two places at once." There was a bit of a pause, then "They're both from the future."  
  
She gently disengaged from the sleeping Chibi-Usa, and, after straightening out her black dress, she carefully made her way to the doorway and looked out at the talking Senshi. "Hello," she said softly, more than a bit nervous.  
  
Setsuna turned to smile at her, "How are you, Hotaru?"  
  
"Fine, now," Hotaru answered. She smiled to the Inners, executing a little bow as she said, "My name is Hotaru Tomoe."  
  
Usagi got up, smiling, "If what Setsuna says is true, you already know us all. A bit of a weird situation, huh?"  
  
Hotaru smiled back at her, "I always wondered why you all knew so much about me when I first met you. Now I know."  
  
Both Haruka and Michiru were looking at Hotaru rather oddly. "When you arrived," Haruka said, "you called us Papa and Mama. Why?"  
  
But before Hotaru could say anything, Setsuna sighed, holding up one hand as she said, "Don't answer that." She looked at all the Senshi as she said seriously, "We shouldn't know about what the future holds for us."  
  
Usagi pouted. "But that spoils all the fun," she said jokingly.  
  
Hotaru shrugged. Before she could say anything else, she heard a sleepy voice from the other room, "Hotaru? Where are you?"  
  
The pink hared girl stumbled into the room, her own clothes rather untidy. The teen rubbed at her blue eyes, smiling a bit bemusedly as she looked at the gathered sailor Senshi. "Is there something to eat?" she asked them plaintively.  
  
Everyone immediately looked between her and Usagi, odd expressions on their faces. "I think she takes after you," Minako said dryly.  
  
"Hey!" Usagi protested.  
  
Makoto chuckled softly, shaking her head. "I'll see what I can scrounge up in the kitchen," she offered pleasantly.  
  
"It's good to see you awake, Small Lady," Setsuna said with a little smile.  
  
"I'm glad you're here, Puu," the pink hared girl said, smiling at her. She turned to the other Senshi, executing a little bow, "My name is Usagi."  
  
Usagi looked more than a bit startled. "To prevent confusion," Hotaru said with a little smile, "we all call her Chibi-Usa."  
  
"No too little," Ami noted thoughtfully. "When you arrived," she said, "you called Rei and Usagi your father and mother. How is that possible?"  
  
"I'm not really allowed to say," Chibi-Usa said with a little smile. She chuckled softly, "But I understand it involved an imaginative use of the transformation pen."  
  
There was a moment of dead silence in the room.  
  
Ami got it first, blushing fiercely. Minako and Natsuna shared a glance, and started laughing uncontrollably. Both Haruka and Michiru looked a bit dumbfounded. And poor Rei and Usagi both went beet red.  
  
"What?" Makoto said as she stepped in, carrying a fully loaded tray. It was obvious she hadn't heard the conversation that had come before. Setsuna decided just to drink her cup of tea and keep her mouth shut about it.  
  
"I'm sorry," Setsuna said to the other Senshi softly, "but I'm going to need to talk to these two alone, first."  
  
"But why..." Haruka started to ask, then she stopped. "Of course, knowledge of the future. I hate time travel," she finished with a sigh.  
  
Usagi and Minako both looked like they wanted to protest that, but they kept silent. Setsuna led both young ladies out of the room silently, a grave expression on her face.  
  
  
  
Chibi-Usa gave Setsuna an odd look once they were alone. "I just remembered," she said softly, "you said we were right on time when we fell here. You knew we were coming?"  
  
"It's not quite that simple," Setsuna sighed. "I have limited foreknowledge only, Small Lady. Some things I know, some I do not. Like what happened to send you here," she said, looking at the two young women.  
  
"Our Senshi in the future, were defeated by a new enemy. They said they came from a place called Nemesis, and used immense power to achieve their victory. I was hoping that with the aide of the Senshi of this time, we could defeat them," Chibi-Usa explained breathlessly.  
  
"I could barely hold my own," Hotaru confessed, "and I was only attacked by one of their leaders. If all three had attacked at once, I doubt I would have won."  
  
"But Mercury and Jupiter's Senshi powers haven't yet awakened in this time period," Setsuna said to them grimly.  
  
Chibi-Usa's eyes widened. "Then I may have led the enemy to Senshi who may not be able to defeat them," she said softly.  
  
"You didn't know," Hotaru said. She looked up at Setsuna, "Plus we have all the Outers here, unlike in the future. It may make a difference."  
  
Setsuna didn't look all that confident at that. "I hope so," she said softly. She looked at the two somewhat sternly, "You must be careful about what you reveal about the future. A slip of the tongue could change the path of your own future."  
  
Both girl's looked somewhat sheepish at that. "We'll be really careful," Chibi-Usa reassured Setsuna earnestly.  
  
  
  
"You mean to say," Makoto said, her eyes wide with disbelief, "that sometime in the future Rei's going to borrow Usagi's disguise pen and..." She made a hand gesture that was almost, but not quite, naughty.  
  
Both Rei and Usagi were still blushing fiercely.  
  
"Don't tease them," Minako said, a little smile on her face.  
  
Haruka smiled tentatively, sitting down by Michiru. "You all right?" she asked her quietly.  
  
"I'm not sure," Michiru admitted to her softly. "Hotaru, she called us mama and papa," she said softly, "does that mean we'll adopt her? Or will something else happen?"  
  
Before Haruka could answer her, there was a loud knock on the door. "Talk about bad timing," Rei muttered, getting up to answer it.  
  
She opened the door to see two rather odd looking figures standing there. The girl had purplish hair, and looked kind of catlike, somehow. The red headed man behind her had an arrogance in his stance that instantly set Rei's teeth on edge.  
  
"Have you seen my daughter?" the girl said with a raspy sounding voice. "She has pink hair, and is about my size," she then took the red- head's arm, trying to look couple like. He seemed very unthrilled by the prospect.  
  
'What on earth? Is someone already chasing those two?' Rei wondered. "No, I haven't seen them," Rei lied sweetly, hopping that Chibi-Usa would stay in the other room.  
  
"Hey, the food's here!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed happily from behind her.  
  
'Damn,' Rei sighed mentally, even as the two tried to shove past her.  
  
"Rubius!" Hotaru angrily cried, recognizing him instantly. She raised her transformation wand, crying out "Saturn Planet Power!" Sailor Saturn stood in front of Chibi-Usa, her posture indicating that she would not be moved by anyone.  
  
"Catsy," Rubius said, smiling coldly, "take care of the others. Saturn is mine."  
  
"Not quite," he heard, and before he could react he was picked up bodily and pitched right out the door. Makoto dusted her hands as she continued, "Let's take this outside, all right?"  
  
Rei grinned at her, "Thanks."  
  
"Rubius," Catsy cried out, running over to see if he was all right. She pulled him back to his feet, then she turned to the Senshi with blood in her eye. "You'll pay for that," she vowed, charging the group of them.  
  
"Moon Prism Power!" Chibi-Usa cried out, even as Usagi said "Moon Crystal Power!" They shared a smile, as they transformed together. Rei drew a rose from her clothes, and the midnight black garb of Tuxedo mask appeared around her.  
  
Ami grabbed Makoto, "We've got to get changed!"  
  
"Right," Makoto said, both of them running into Rei's bedroom to change clothes.  
  
The three Outers raised their wands as one, "Pluto" Setsuna cried, "Uranus," Haruka, and "Neptune" from Michiru, "Planet Power!" all three cried out together.  
  
"Venus Star Power!" Minako cried, even as Natsuna puled her gun, checking if her charmed bullets were loaded and ready.  
  
"Gravity Pressure!" Rubius roared, throwing a bolt of force against Saturn and Chibi-Moon. The two young women barely kept their feet, the energy hammering at them.  
  
Before the other six could run to their aide, Catsy was upon them. Purple fire burned around her hands, as she cast it in a ring of flame around them all. Tuxedo Kamen calmly walked into the fire, to the alarm of everyone present.  
  
She rolled out the other side of the fire, her cape ablaze, and from the ground kicked Catsy in the stomach, winding her. Her concentration broken, the fire eased, and the Senshi moved to try and encircle her.  
  
"Shine Aqua illusion!" Mercury cried, firing an ice blast from her gloves.  
  
The ice distracted Catsy a moment, and Jupiter seized the chance. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" she cried, casting ball lightning at the surprised villainess.  
  
Rubius ignored the other fight, concentrating on his primary mission. The Senshi were mostly irrelevant, but Saturn and Chibi-Moon had to be destroyed. He frowned, and increased the gravity again in a attempt to crush them, but the two stood against him still.  
  
"You're strong," he admitted, "surprisingly so. But you can't hold out forever."  
  
"They don't have to," the coldly quiet voice came from right behind him. He quickly turned to see Sailor Moon glaring at him, her eyes dark with anger. "Moon Tiara Magic" she said, and the glowing tiara rapidly changed in her hands. Instead of a mere shining disk, she held a longsword, shining softly like moonlight.  
  
Rubius looked at her in shock, even as he raised his hands to attack her. "I've never seen.. when did you learn to?" he started to ask. "Gravity Pressure!" he cried out, throwing all his power against her in a vain attempt to stop her.  
  
Her legs buckled a moment under the attack, but Sailor Moon stood firm against him. She took a single step forward, and swung downward, Rubius' body exploding in a wave of dark energy. They were all thrown apart by the blast, the smoke filling the air, but it gradually faded. Ash and dust were all that remained of him.  
  
The light of the sword faded, and a tiara reappeared in Sailor moon's hand. She put it on, a single tear trickling down her cheek. She turned to Saturn and Chibi-Moon, who both looked at her in awe. "Are you both all right?" she asked.  
  
Saturn took a half step forward, then she dropped to her knee. "You are truly the Princess," she said reverently, "and future Queen."  
  
Chibi-Moon looked Sailor Moon in the eye, nodding her agreement. "She's right," she admitted to her softly, "Rubius and the others beat the Senshi of my time with ease. How did you...?"  
  
Sailor Moon shook her head, her expression grim as she seemed to deny what they said. "What happened to Catsy?" she asked.  
  
"Over here," Venus smiled, sitting on the struggling young woman with Natsuna. "Can we let her up soon?" she asked.  
  
Mercury took a moment to scan Catsy with her visor. "That's strange. Her powers," she noted, "they seem to be gone."  
  
The two ladies got up off Catsy, who rose slowly, looking over at where Rubius had stood. Her eyes seemed clearer, somehow, brighter and more aware of the world. "What happened?" she asked, looking around her, "Who are you people?"  
  
  
  
It appeared, a castle of crystal and glass, floating invisibly above the city of Tokyo. It looked almost like a snowflake, spears of crystal stretching out in all directions. Inside, there was a chamber, with four mirrors reflecting locations across the city.  
  
"It seems Rubius failed," Diamond reported.  
  
The shadowed figure nodded slightly, thoughtfully. "It seems the future queen is more powerful than we expected," she said softly. "Emerald!"  
  
The green hared woman stepped forward, bowing, "Milady."  
  
"Take Birdy," she said, "and use some guile against them, this time. I noticed that Mercury and Jupiter seem to lack their powers. Slay them, and our enemy is reduced by a fourth." She watched as the pale blue hared Birdy look her place by Emerald, preparing to go. "Do not fail me," she said, as they disappeared from the ship. 


	17. Timelost! Part Two

The Timelost! Part Two  
  
"So it's a kook, right?" Makoto asked Ami in pretend innocence as they all looked up at the castle like building.  
  
"Rook," Ami chuckled softly, gently taking her lover's arm.  
  
It had been a few days since Hotaru and Chibi-Usa's arrival, and they had made a conscious decision to try to carry on as normal. Not that there weren't a few hiccups. Usagi had been rather unnerved by Chibi-Usa's ability to hypnotize her parents into believing that the girl was some long lost cousin of Usagi's. The morality of it had also bothered her a bit, but finally she just had to accept it.  
  
The girl in question walked along beside Usagi like she didn't have a care in the world. "So who built this?" Chibi-Usa asked, looking around her curiously. They were here to visit an old friend of Ami's as well as take a look around the newly opened building.  
  
"A real chess fan," Ami said admiringly. "He's also holding a tournament soon, to determine the best chess player in Tokyo," she added.  
  
"You should enter!" Usagi said enthusiastically, "you'd win easily."  
  
Rei noticed the blush appear on Ami's cheeks, and quietly said to Usagi, "Don't pressure her." With a gentle smile she added, "If she wants to enter, we'll cheer her on, of course."  
  
Hotaru followed, watching the group interactions. They were so much like the women she'd come to know, but they were a bit different, too. Younger, less mature, they played together so easily. As years turned to decades the games would come less easily, but the bond forged here between them would always be there.  
  
"Why not join the fun?" a cheerful voice came from right behind her. Hotaru turned to see Minako smiling at her, "You're certainly welcome."  
  
Hotaru blushed, "Sorry."  
  
Minako hooked her arm in hers, dragging her forward. "Nothing to be sorry for," Minako chuckled, waving to get Chibi-Usa's attention. The pink haired girl saw them coming and grinned while shaking her head.  
  
"Hanging back again?" Chibi-Usa smiled, grabbing Hotaru's arm. "I'd almost think you were a voyeur," she sighed dramatically.  
  
Hotaru went beet red at that.  
  
Makoto held the door open gentlemanly for Ami. Ami took a step, only to have a girl with a long blue braid barge by her inside without even a excuse me.  
  
"Oof!" Ami staggered, only to have Makoto catch her. "My hero," Ami smiled up at her, and Makoto felt week in the knees.  
  
Makoto looked up to glare at the girl, "That was rude!" She moved to go after her, but Ami gently put her hand on Makoto's arm.  
  
"Let it be," Ami said thoughtfully. "I've never seen her here before, so maybe she's just new," she explained.  
  
"Sometimes I think you're just too nice," Rei teased her gently.  
  
Hotaru watched the girl walk off, an odd look on her face. Softly, to Chibi-Usa she asked, "Did she look familiar to you?"  
  
"Now that you mention it," Chibi-Usa frowned slightly, "she did, sort of."  
  
Hotaru thought about it for a moment, and then activated her wrist communicator. Setsuna's calm face appeared on the little screen, "There might" Hotaru said, putting the emphasis on the second word, "be an enemy at the chess center."  
  
"I know," Setsuna answered, "we're already planning to be there. Haruka, Michiru and I will be cheering Ami on from the stands."  
  
"But she hasn't entered," Hotaru started to say, only to have Setsuna smile at her knowingly. "Never mind," she sighed.  
  
At the front desk, there was a rather odd discussion going on between a older man and Ami. "But I really didn't plan," she said rather desperately.  
  
"I would really appreciate if you'd compete, Ami," he said to her entreatingly.  
  
Ami met his eyes, then gave a soft sigh. "All right," she agreed reluctantly. She signed up quickly, noting the odd name of the girl before her, Birdy.  
  
"So are these your friends?" he asked, looking with a smile at the young woman around Ami. Ami performed the introductions, then agreed to play him a game while the others took a look around. "You used to come play all the time," he remarked, "but the chess club doesn't see you around as much anymore."  
  
Ami blushed. "Well, you see," she started to try and explain, only to have him stop her with a gentle smile.  
  
"I'm glad to see you have friends, now," he said softly. He chuckled, "Chess may be fun, but friends are far more valuable." They exchanged a smile, then bent down to concentrate on the game.  
  
Not long after, Ami announced, "Checkmate." He looked down at the board, then up to her worried face, before starting to laugh.  
  
  
  
"Chess?" Emerald asked Birdy dubiously in one of the many empty rooms.  
  
"Sailor Mercury, a.k.a. Ami Mizuno, is quite the fan," Birdy smiled. "Once I distract her in a game, defeating her in battle will be easy."  
  
"And with one Senshi gone," Emerald said thoughtfully, "the others will be all the easier to defeat." She laughed her grating, high pitched laugh, "It's a marvelous plan! I'm glad I thought of it!"  
  
Birdy sweatdropped, and decided not to argue that. "The match is tomorrow," she said, "so I'll prepare the place for our fight." Coolly, "I want all the advantages."  
  
With that, Emerald left, laughing softly.  
  
"I have such a headache," Birdy sighed, and headed off to get to work.  
  
  
  
Luna gently lay the two kittens down, watching them both sleeping peacefully. She took a few steps away, before sitting down on a open piece of the carpet. She remained perfectly still, only the faint breeze stirring her fur, as she focused all her concentration on the task.  
  
A faint glow appeared all around her, then suddenly there was a puff of rapidly displaced air. "Well, well," the black haired young woman now sitting there said with a little smile, "I guess it wasn't just a one shot thing after all."  
  
Luna stretched out in her newly human form before taking a moment to admire her nude body. Her black hair was long, reaching the very base of her back, and her body was slim and elegant. The only odd thing that Luna noticed was that she still retained a cat's tail that was proportionate to her human form.  
  
"I suppose nobody's perfect," Luna chuckled softly. The kittens roused and circle her legs, recognizing her by scent, if not by sight. She picked them up, cradling them both gently in her arms while they purred madly.  
  
Luna carefully opened Usagi's closet, browsing one handedly through the clothes until she reached what she wanted. The black dress hadn't suited Usagi at all, and had been consigned to the back of the closet ever since. Luna didn't think Usagi would miss it, so...  
  
"Mrew," Diana remarked, perched on the top of Luna's head as she walked towards the Chess building. The little black dress looked as good on Luna as she though it would, and a pair of plain boots finished off the outfit nicely.  
  
"Yes, it is big," Luna answered her with a smile. Serena was perched on her shoulder, looking around wide eyed. Luna navigated the crowds carefully, making her way to the main hall. It was almost completely quiet, except for a small but very enthusiastic cheering section.  
  
"Go, Ami!" Usagi cheered. Beside her Minako waved two fans around, "Go, Ami! Go! Go!" On Usagi's other side, "You can do it, Ami!" Chibi-Usa cheered.  
  
Hotaru was blushing furiously, crouched down low in her seat. "I really don't think you're supposed to cheer at these things," she said with a sigh.  
  
Natsuna's face was almost as red as Hotaru's. "I wonder if we can just pretend we don't know them?" she asked Makoto, Rei and Hotaru quietly.  
  
The standings were displayed up on the computer screen, and it quickly became apparent there were only two to beat. Ami seemed to breeze through her matches, while the young woman with the braid did equally well in hers. Finally, it came down to those two.  
  
Ami smiled at her as she walked over to where they would be playing. "May the best player win," Ami offered, extending her hand.  
  
A smile quirked at Birdy's lips, "Oh, I think we already know who the better player is." Quite arrogantly, "Let's get on with you losing, shall we?"  
  
But if Ami was at all bothered by Birdy's bad behavior, she didn't let it show. The pieces were set up, then they began. Birdy looked up to meet Ami's calm gaze, and experienced the first shiver of doubt.  
  
This game took some time. The cheering section fell silent, watching as both women carefully moved the pieces across the board, maintain formidable defenses while also maneuvering to the attack. And all along, Ami smiled down at the board in honest enjoyment.  
  
Birdy scowled at the board. This should have been so easy, but it wasn't. All of her carefully planned strategies failed her one after another. Each and every gambit was calmly dealt with as Ami rolled onward, step by step demolishing Birdy's plans.  
  
Then Ami moved her queen, and Birdy felt her stomach drop as she saw what she had done. "Checkmate," Ami said softly, looking up to meet Birdy's eyes.  
  
"It's not possible," Birdy said, looking at the board in shock, then angrily "you must have cheated!" She grabbed the table and heaved the chess board into the air, sending the pieces flying. "Fine!" she barked, "Let's play a new game!"  
  
Birdy made a throwing gesture, tossing what looked like a ball of ice at the video camera. Out in the main hall, the screen suddenly went black! Chibi-Usa and Hotaru were instantly on their feet and out the door, the others following.  
  
"Excuse us!" Usagi called over her shoulder as they ran by an oddly familiar looking dark hared woman.  
  
Luna watched them sprint down the hallway, and on the other side she saw Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna leaving much more quietly. Luna felt what was almost a stab of pain at seeing the sandy hared woman, but she made herself put it aside. Ami was in trouble!  
  
The temperature in the room dropped like a rock even as Birdy changed, her regular dress replaced with a skin tight blue mini. "We'll be playing by my rules now, little Sailor Mercury," Birdy said with a sneer.  
  
The cold seemed to reach into her very bones, but Ami forced herself to focus. "You're one of them, the ones chasing Hotaru and Chibi-Usa, aren't you?" she asked.  
  
"Very nice," Birdy nodded. "Once I slay you, all the other Senshi will be weakened. Then mistress Emerald will be able to defeat them with ease," she said with a casual wave. "But I'm a sporting sort," she smiled evily, "so we're going to play another game."  
  
Sailor Moon slammed the door open, Sailor V at her side. The other Senshi charged in right after them, moving into a 'v' formation for battle. "Don't disgrace an honorable game with your bitter vengeance!" Sailor Moon declared, "In the name of love and justice, I'll punish you!"  
  
"And here are all the pieces now," a smirking Birdy said, activating the trap that she had set up there earlier. A sphere of ice suddenly encircled all the Senshi, lifting them right off the floor and then up into the air.  
  
"You just had to make a speech," Sailor V complained to Sailor Moon quietly. Natsuna pulled out her pistol to fire it when Sailor V quickly spoke up, "No! What if it ricochets?" Sailor Jupiter hammered at the ice with her fists, her gloves beginning to tear under the force.  
  
"If I summon my Glave," Saturn volunteered, "I can probably cut us out."  
  
"This is a really small place," Chibi-Moon worried, "what if you cut one of us? Lets just hold that in reserve, OK?"  
  
"Here are the rules," Birdy smiled. She shook out a bag, spilling chess pieces in black and silver on the table. "We'll play again, and this time I'll win. If you don't play, you're friends pay the price," she said, gesturing to the sphere.  
  
Ami could almost see the temperature drop inside of it, her friends beginning to freeze in there. "I'll play," Ami said, calmly setting up her pieces. 'I don't see Rei in there,' she thought, 'and the Outers are still free.'  
  
"Oh, there's too many pieces on your side," Birdy smirked, and everything but Ami's pawns and King disappeared.  
  
Ami played on calmly, focusing her concentration, She advanced her pieces, and then Birdy took one of her pawns. Suddenly, her feet were encased in ice!  
  
"Oh, did I forget to say?' Birdy chuckled. "When you loose a piece on the board, you loose a piece of your body."  
  
"Ami, stop playing!" Makoto yelled, hoping that Ami could hear her.  
  
Ami looked up to meet her eyes, then she looked at Birdy levely, advancing another piece. The ice had reached her waist by the time Birdy had taken her king.  
  
"Well," Birdy sounded amused, "it seems there's still some of you left. We can play again, or I can just finish you and your friends off now."  
  
"Set up the pieces," Ami said flatly.  
  
"You can't win, you know," Birdy said mockingly, looking up at the Senshi, "when all you have is pawns to play with."  
  
"They're not pawns," Ami barked back, "they're my friends!"  
  
Suddenly, a rose struck the table, sending Birdy's pieces flying. "Value your pawns," Tuxedo Kamen said with a smile, "for on them can turn the course of the game." She threw another rose at the sphere, which promptly shattered, along with the ice that held Ami.  
  
"No!" Birdy growled, going towards the Senshi only to have Ami bar her way. The slim girl grabbed at Birdy's arms, holding her fast.  
  
A calm voice said, "I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way." Emerald blasted the surprised Senshi backwards, throwing bolt after bolt of energy at them.  
  
It got colder and colder, ice swirling all around Ami and Birdy. But she refused to let her go, to let Birdy try to hurt her friends again. Chips of ice, sharp like blades, swirled around them, tearing at her clothes and raising blood, even as the Senshi battled against Emerald in the background.  
  
"We should be in there helping them!" Michiru protested as they watched what was happening, safely hidden nearby.  
  
"We can save them," Haruka said intensely.  
  
"No," Setsuna shook her head, "we have to let this play out."  
  
"I hope you're right," Michiru said softly, "I happen to like Ami, and I really don't want to see her die today."  
  
Luna stopped at the open door, the cold hitting her body like a physical blow. Her eyes widened as she saw Ami and Birdy locked together in combat, and the symbol that blazed on Ami's forehead. "She's awakened, at last," Luna whispered. The wand appeared in her had, then she tossed it, yelling, "Ami, catch!"  
  
Ami saw it from the corner of her eye and tearing free from Birdy she grabbed it from midair. The words she spoke came to her automatically, "Mercury Star Power, Make-UP!"  
  
"Oh, no," Birdy whispered, realizing that the only advantage she had, Ami's powerlessness, was now gone.  
  
Sailor Mercury felt the cold now almost as a living thing. She called to it, and it obediently came, swirling and concentrating in front of her until she turned to the badly shaken Emerald. "Shine aqua illusion!" Ami roared, throwing all the cold straight at her.  
  
Emerald didn't even have the chance to cry out, so quickly was she sealed in a brick of solid ice. Before anyone could do anything, a fearsome weapon appeared in Saturn's hands. She ran at the frozen villain, blood in her eye, then she swung her Glave down. It was all over.  
  
  
  
Birdy and Catsy looked at each other disbelievingly, then rushed together to hug each other fiercely. "All's well that ends well," Minako said with a smile.  
  
"Was that Luna we saw in there?" Makoto asked the others curiously.  
  
"The woman certainly looked like she did when the crystal hit her," Ami agreed. Her clothes were a wreck, but there was a glow about her. She looked like someone who had found something long lost. "Is everyone all right?" she asked the others quietly.  
  
"I hope so," Natsuna said, looking back to where Usagi was talking to Hotaru.  
  
"You didn't have to kill her," Usagi said intensely.  
  
"They were trying to kill us," Hotaru answered, frowning. "And you did the same thing to Rubius, so I don't quite see the problem."  
  
"He wasn't defenseless," Usagi answered grimly, "like Emerald was."  
  
Chibi-Usa took Hotaru's arm, "She was a killer, Usagi. All Hotaru did was make sure she didn't hurt anyone else again."  
  
Usagi just shook her head sadly and didn't reply.  
  
  
  
The images faded in the orb on top of the staff, and all was quiet in the room. Finally, "She awakened her power, instead of slaying her. It seems the Senshi are not to be underestimated." The light caught a gleam on gold on her brow as she leaned forward to gaze at her two remaining lieutenants.  
  
"Let me face them," Sapphire volunteered, "I'm certain I can defeat them in battle." He clenched his hands, power swirling around him.  
  
"Take both Prisma and Avery," she commanded, "and find the Hotaru Tomoe of this time. Slay her, and once of our greatest foes is gone." With that, she turned and walked away, her long black hair reaching the hem of her sailor fuku.  
  
"But she's just a defenseless child," Sapphire said softly as she walked away.  
  
"Don't defy her," Diamond hissed, "you know what she can do!"  
  
Sapphire sighed softly, nodding his agreement. He collected Prisma and Avery, and in a moment was gone. 


	18. Timelost! Part Three

The Timelost! Part Three  
  
"Road trip?" Natsuna said, surprised. The Inners and Outers were gathered at Rei's temple for one of their regular meetings when the tropic came up.  
  
Haruka nodded seriously. "Michiru and I got a call from Prof. Tomoe, he wants us to come over this weekend and see Hotaru. But I don't think we should be splitting up our forces right now, so..." she shrugged expressively.  
  
"Sounds like fun," Usagi smiled. Her eyes brightened, "Does that mean we get to meet Hotaru as a little girl?" she said excitedly.  
  
Michiru chuckled softly. "Yes, we'll meet the younger Hotaru," she smiled.  
  
"I remember when we first met," Chibi-Usa smiled over at Hotaru, "you were so cute."  
  
A little blush colored Hotaru's cheeks. "Is that such a good idea?" she asked them, surprised. "I mean, me, meeting my own past self?" Hotaru looked over at Setsuna.  
  
"I've done it myself, once or twice," Setsuna smiled. "There shouldn't be any problem," she reassured her.  
  
"Id like to meet this professor myself," Artemis admitted. Since he was here, Luna was noticeably absent. The general feeling among the scouts was that they had to get the cats to at least get along, but exactly how was eluding them.  
  
"But you don't think he's mind all the extra company?" Rei asked first off. At Michiru's reassuring smile, she continued, "So how do we do this, anyway?"  
  
Ami took her glasses out of her pocket and slipped them on, looking cutely smart. "I know that Natsuna and Minako both drive," she noted.  
  
"Pretty good, too," Haruka remembered her defeat at Minako's hands on the driving game. "I drive, and so does Setsuna," she volunteered.  
  
"So we meet here tomorrow, I guess," Makoto said, "break up everybody between three or four cars and go meet the Professor."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Haruka smiled. She looked entreatingly at Makoto, "Could you maybe make a lunch for us all?"  
  
Everyone was suddenly giving Makoto puppy dog eyes. "All right, all right," she laughed, "I'll make us all lunch."  
  
"Yeah!" Chibi-Usa cheered, and even Hotaru smiled slightly.  
  
The Outers soon left together, and the meeting itself broke up with nearly everyone going their separate ways. But Rei stopped Usagi at the door to ask, "Could you wait a moment?" She nodded, and Rei led her back inside.  
  
Ami and Makoto walked to the bus stop together, enjoying the sunshine on the cold winters day. "What's it like?" Makoto asked her quietly. Ami had only recently had her Senshi powers emerge, and Makoto was feeling a bit worried about her lover. 'A little bit jealous, too,' she had to admit to herself.  
  
Ami looked up at the taller brown hared girl and with a smile, "Not too different, really. It's like thinking you couldn't use your arm, then discovering you can." The walked together silently a moment, "Now that my powers are here, I can start trying to figure out how to awaken your own abilities, too."  
  
"As long as it doesn't mean I have to get beat up as much as Birdy did you," Makoto smiled down at her.  
  
Ami just smiled mysteriously in reply, and Makoto felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.  
  
Rei smiled, sitting down with Usagi at the table. "Did you want some more tea? I think Makoto left some cookies, too," she said, looking visibly nervous.  
  
Usagi wasn't used to seeing Rei this skittish, "What's wrong?" A thought raced through her mind, 'Does she want to break up with me?'  
  
Rei reached up to push her short black hair back, "I..." she paused, then she blurted out, "I accidentally told Grandfather about me liking girls."  
  
Usagi blinked, looking as if it was taking a moment to switch gears. "How did he take it?" she asked her tentatively.  
  
"Pretty good, actually," Rei admitted. She took a deep breath, "I told him I had a girlfriend and... he wants to meet you."  
  
"Meet me?" Usagi squeaked.  
  
"I didn't tell him it was you, yet," Rei said softly, "just in case you didn't want him to know." She brightened up as she added, "He wants you to come over for dinner soon."  
  
"I'd be glad to," Usagi answered, a few tears in her eyes.  
  
"What's wrong?" Rei asked worriedly.  
  
"I'm happy," Usagi explained tearfully, "I mean, I'm actually getting to officially meet your family, sort of!"  
  
Rei laughed softly, hugging her. A thought occurred to her, "So when do I get to meet your family, Usagi?"  
  
Usagi laughed softly, "As soon as I'm brave enough to tell them."  
  
Minako carefully pushed the sliding door shut, again. "I guess I'll have to get my bag later," she grinned at Natsuna.  
  
"This, after spying on them for the last few minutes," Natsuna chuckled at her lover softly. She gently took Minako's hand and led her down to where they parked their car.  
  
"Well, I didn't want to interrupt anything," Minako shrugged, and Natsuna rolled her eyes. They unlocked the car and climbed in. Minako twisted to snap her seatbelt when she froze.  
  
"What?" Natsuna asked.  
  
Minako sheepishly pulled her bag out of the back seat, "I forgot I left it in here."  
  
Artemis groaned dramatically.  
  
  
  
Saturday morning, the sun was bright, the skies were clear, and the lunch Makoto was carting around was enormous. A curious Haruka picked up one of the four large boxes and blinked a bit in honest surprise at the weight.  
  
Michiru was looking at the boxes wide eyed. "Isn't this a bit much?" she finally asked.  
  
Makoto shook her head and smiled as she said, "I've seen Usagi and Chibi-Usa eat. This looks to be about right, actually."  
  
"Hey!" both Usagi and Chibi-Usa protested that, but everyone else just laughed.  
  
The cars were quickly divvied up: Haruka, Michiru, Chibi-Usa and Hotaru drove in one, Setsuna volunteered to drive Usagi and Rei, and Natsuna, Minako, Ami and Makoto piled into the third car. A bit of squabbling over who got to sit where, and they were off.  
  
"I can't wait to see you as a little girl, again," Chibi-Usa said cheerfully.  
  
"I'm looking forward to seeing my father," Hotaru admitted, "though I'm not sure what I'm going to say to him."  
  
"It might be best if he doesn't know who you are," Haruka said softly. She sighed, "But he has seen your adult form before, so..."  
  
"I'll try to stay out of his way," Hotaru said quietly, but firmly added, "If he does see who I am, I won't deny it."  
  
"I wouldn't expect you to," Michiru reassured her.  
  
Usagi and Rei sat in the back seat together, while Setsuna drove. She had offered the passenger side to Rei, but as politely as possible she declined. They traveled silently for a time, then out of the blue Setsuna asked, "You two are lovers, aren't you?"  
  
Usagi looked rather startled at the bluntness of the question, and Rei frowned slightly as she answered, "Yes, we are."  
  
A moment of quiet from the front seat, then Setsuna softly said, "I see." From the side they could see a wry smile as Setsuna said, "I thought I could defeat destiny, but I was wrong. I'm sorry if my advances on Rei created any trouble between you."  
  
Both looked very confused by that little statement. "What do you mean?" Usagi finally decided to just ask.  
  
A faint blush appeared on Setsuna's cheeks. "To put it simply, I had a crush on the Prince of the Earth during the reign of the Moon Kingdom, but he fell in love with the Moon Princess," she sighed. "When I realized that he had been reborn in this era, and after he came to be inhabiting Rei, I hoped to beat the Princess to him..."  
  
"I'm sorry," Rei said softly. An odd look and she slowly said, "I'm apologizing for what the past self of a deceased spirit residing in me once did." Setsuna chuckled softly at that, as did Usagi after a moment. It was funny, in a absurd sort of way.  
  
Setsuna smiled slightly, "I'd prefer if you not tell anyone else about this." She looked around outside before quietly announcing "We're almost there."  
  
They left the city, and eventually reached a long, curving lane. The three cars drove up the lane, until a small house came into view. It was a single floor ranch style home, brightly colored in a field of green grass. A discrete sign announced it the home of the Tomoe's, and as they pulled up, they saw a figure watching out the door at them.  
  
Haruka and Michiru climbed out of the car first, and the front door of the house opened. The tall man walked out leaning heavily on a cane, and from the looks on Haruka and Michiru's faces, this was a recent development.  
  
"Professor, what happened?" Haruka asked him quietly.  
  
Prof. Tomoe shrugged, "I suspect it's a side-effect of my long possession." The other cars began to unload, and a expression of honest happiness crossed his face. "I see you've brought some friends. Hotaru will be happy for the company," he smiled.  
  
Hotaru tried to keep someone between her and her father. She snuck glances at the wan, blond haired former scientist, and her heart went out to him. 'He looks so ill,' she worried, 'is there anything I can do?'  
  
Then another figure came out of the house, and Hotaru almost felt her heart stop in her chest. The eleven year old girl looked around tentatively, before moving to stay near her father. Her eyes met Hotaru's, seeming to be so much older than her years as a fundamental recognition passed between the two of them.  
  
Then it passed, and the younger Hotaru was a little girl again. She smiled up at Michiru and Haruka, "Hello Aunt Michiru, Uncle Haruka."  
  
Setsuna hid a smile, while the others tried their best to keep a straight face while Haruka blushed fiercely. "It's good to see you, Hotaru," Michiru smiled back at her.  
  
"You really are cute," Chibi-Usa whispered to Hotaru.  
  
Introductions were quickly made, and the group headed inside. Surprisingly, Usagi, Rei, and Artemis seemed to hit it off well with the young Hotaru so they went to play with her, while the others stayed to talk to the Professor. "Hello, Hotaru," he smiled at the teen, obviously seeing through the false name she had given.  
  
Hotaru smiled back, brushing a few tears from her eyes. "It's so good to see you," she cried, throwing her arms around him. She could feel it, what was wrong with him, and a chill settled in her heart. "You're dying," she whispered softly.  
  
Prof. Tomoe didn't deny it, merely smiled sadly as he said to Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna "That's why I wanted to see you." He stumbled to a chair, and Hotaru steadied him as he sat down. "Thank you," he said to her, then he looked up at the three Outers, "I've changed my will to make you three the guardians of Hotaru."  
  
None of them looked terribly surprised at hearing that piece of news. "Are you sure?" Haruka asked him softly. 'This explains why Hotaru called me Papa,' she thought, 'Michiru, Setsuna and I must end up raising her.'  
  
"I've gotten to know all three of you," Tomoe smiled sadly, "and I can't think of anyone I'd trust more to take care of her."  
  
"We would be honored," Michiru smiled at him gently. A slight pause, and she made herself ask the difficult question, "How long do you have?"  
  
Before he could answer, the building was rocked by an explosion. "Hotaru!" the Professor exclaimed, trying to get to his feet.  
  
"Stay here," Setsuna barked, as they charged out of the room.  
  
"Natsuna, could you?" Minako asked her. Natsuna frowned, but after looking over at Tomoe she nodded, hefting her pistol. "We'll hurry back," Minako reassured her.  
  
Rei and Usagi tried to keep the little girl behind them as they glared over at the young man who had blasted down the bedroom wall. Dressed in some kind of military styled uniform, his long blue hair falling gently into his eyes, he would almost look handsome without the sneer on his face. Right behind him, two young women stood ready, with what looked like black lightning dancing all around both of them.  
  
"Stand aside Senshi," he addressed them coldly while leveling a quite fearsome looking blade at them both, "it's only the child that I've come for today. Surrender her to me, and no harm will come to you."  
  
"Not a chance," Rei said calmly, hefting her sword cane.  
  
"Saturn Planet power, Make up!" they all heard the cry, even as the young man's eyes grew wide with surprise and fear.  
  
"Not her, not here," he whispered, but he hoped in vain. Sailor Saturn exploded into the room, charging at him with her glave pointed right at his head. "Outside!" he barked to the young women as they all retreated from the clearly furious young Senshi.  
  
Saturn hammered at him relentlessly as the others watched the battle in awe. "I remember you, Sapphire," she hissed, "you were a honorable warrior in the future. Why have you stooped to attacking children?"  
  
"My mistress commands," Sapphire shot back, "and I must obey." He shouted at the girls, "Prisma, Avery! Go after the girl!"  
  
"Mercury," Ami cried, "Moon Crystal" from Usagi, then finally "Venus" from Minako, then all together they cried out, "Star power, Make up!"  
  
Makoto ducked behind a couch, pulling on her uniform as quickly as possible. "I have got to learn how to do that," she grumbled softly. Dressed, she popped up from behind to try and get a handle on what the situation was.  
  
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were watching over Hotaru. 'Good idea,' Makoto though, 'she's the most vulnerable one here.' Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor V and Tuxedo Kamen were taking on Prisma and Avery two on two. Sadly, they weren't doing to good. Finally, Saturn was going after Sapphire with blood in her eye, but she couldn't seem to get past his guard.  
  
"Guess I better go help the others," Sailor Jupiter said, charging towards Prisma.  
  
"Another target," Prisma smiled, and bathed Jupiter in dark lightning.  
  
Makoto could smell the special insulation Ami installed in her costume begin to burn, and she silently thanked her loved. Then she was right in front of the very startled Prisma, who she hit with a round house blow.  
  
"Don't hurt my sister!" Avery cried out, and she blasted Jupiter in the middle of the back with her lightning.  
  
Prisma pulled herself up, wiping a bit of blood from her lip. "Oh, you are so going to pay for that," she promised.  
  
"Are you all right?" Mercury cried to Jupiter, kneeling down beside her.  
  
There was an odd look on Jupiter's face as she replied, "I think so." She shook her head, as she thought, 'I ought to be crispy, even with the suit.' Lightning jumped between her fingers, and her eyes grew wide.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen grabbed Jupiter's arm and helped pull her to her feet. "Any helpful idea's would be appreciated right now," she hissed, spinning her cane to deflect the bolts of lightning.  
  
"Get out of here," Jupiter said suddenly, "leave them both to me."  
  
"She said helpful, not crazy," Sailor V shot back with a smile. She whirled her chain before lashing out, but a burst of black lightning blasted it away.  
  
"Trust me," Jupiter smiled, "I can handle this."  
  
Mercury met her lover's gaze, searching for something in those brown eyes. Finally she said, "All right." She stood up a bit straighter and looked over at Sailor V, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen, "Let's go help Saturn."  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Tuxedo Kamen quietly asked Mercury as they all ran towards the other battle.  
  
"No," was the short reply.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" Avery called after them, only to be silenced with a single slap to the face.  
  
"Don't forget about me," Jupiter smiled. She calmly cracked her knuckles, "Beating two weak opponents like you won't even cause me to break a sweat."  
  
Prisma smiled coldly at her sister, "We'll kill her first." Then both of them cut loose full strength on the Senshi standing between them.  
  
Mercury visibly winced at the howl of pain they all heard. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" she cried, and sealed Sapphire's legs in ice, immobilizing him.  
  
Sapphire cursed loudly while hacking at the ice with his blade before he realized that he had bigger problems to deal with.  
  
"Moon Tiara Magic!" Sailor Moon cried, her tiara morphing into a shining sword. He brought his blade up to parry, and the golden sword cut through it like butter. Before he could recover, a swift kick to the gut sent him staggering free of the ice.  
  
Prisma and Avery were both clearly baffled. This Senshi should have been dead by now, but instead she was standing up, easily resisting everything they could throw at her! Even stranger, white lightning danced around her body, driving their own lightning away.  
  
Artemis realized what had happened to her, and used his paw to bat the transformation wand towards her. Jupiter caught it, throwing him a smile.  
  
"Jupiter Star Power," Jupiter cried, "Make up!" For the first time, she transformed, the costume forming around her in a familiar dance. Both Avery and Prisma looked at her, shocked. Lightning arched all around her as a little antenna came up from her tiara, the words just coming to her, "Supreme Thunder!"  
  
From out of a cloudless blue sky it came down, a lightning bolt of incredible force. It reached Jupiter, then with a gesture she simply split it in two, striking at Avery and Prisma evenly. With twin cries, they both went down and didn't get up.  
  
Sapphire scowled, power surging from his body to drive his enemies backward. 'I can't retreat,' he thought grimly, 'she'd never forgive me.'  
  
Another wave of power drove them all backward. "We can't even get close to him," Saturn cursed softly.  
  
"Wait a minute," Sailor V's eyes widened, "I see it!" Just as Sailor Jupiter reached them, she said to her, "Give me a boost!"  
  
"Sure," Jupiter shrugged. Sailor V stepped on Jupiter's cupped hands then she literally flung her into the air!  
  
Sailor V sailed up and over Sapphire's attacks, descending towards him rapidly. 'I guess Jupiter doesn't know her own strength now,' she found herself thinking. She landed almost on top of him, gently placing two fingers against his brow. "I'm sorry," softly, then she loudly cried, "Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"  
  
A wave of force tossed them backward, moon dust rising to fill the air. Strangely, two figures seemed to appear out of the smoke and ash. One was handsome, a white hared young man dressed in a military uniform, carrying himself with a great deal of pride.  
  
The woman with him was dressed in a sailor fuku, her long, green- black hair flowing over her shoulders and down her back. A long staff, resembling a key, is held in her hand. The Senshi gaze at her in shock, at this very familiar woman.  
  
"Pluto?" Saturn whispered, looking back and forth between the new arrival and the one standing there with the Outers.  
  
Pluto separated herself the others, walking over to where her twin stood, an unreadable expression in her dark eyes. Her tone is almost conversational as she said to her, "It's been a long time, Sailor Nemesis."  
  
To be Continued.... 


	19. Timelost! Part Four

The Timelost: Part Four  
  
Diamond smiled at them coldly even as Sailor Nemesis raised her hand and suddenly slapped Pluto, sending her staggering backward. "You are not worthy to even speak with me, betrayer," the young woman hissed. She glared at the assembled Senshi as she continued, "You all will pay for the sins of the past."  
  
"What sins?" Sailor Moon asked, honestly confused. "Who are you, and why do you look just like Pluto?"  
  
"It would me more accurate to say Pluto looks like me," Nemesis corrected her coldly.  
  
"She is the Senshi of a world that died," Pluto said, rising to her feet and wiping a bit of blood from the corner of her mouth. "All that's left of her world, Nemesis, now is the Asteroid belt, it was destroyed during the Silver Millennium," she explained quietly.  
  
"Don't you dare put it so simply," Nemesis glared at her. "The Moon Kingdom chose to withdraw it's protection from my world, and the Negaverse destroyed it and all those who lived there," she spat out.  
  
"That's not," Pluto started.  
  
"Silence!" Nemesis barked. "We were the first Senshi of Time," her voice dropped to a whisper, "the true masters of time, and when I was reborn I retained all those abilities. And I swear they will be your end."  
  
"This can't be good," Natsuna said, looking out the window at the new arrivals. The double of Pluto was bad enough, but she was being followed by a pretty-boy. Personally, Natsuna just hated pretty-boys on general principles.  
  
Artemis jumped on her shoulder, "I'd have to agree with that."  
  
Professor Tomoe looked quite pale as he gazed outside as well. "I think you should go out there and help," he said quietly to them both.  
  
"Hotaru would never forgive me if you were hurt," Natsuna shook her head.  
  
With a slight smile Tomoe said, "In here, what can you do, exactly? At least out there you'll be doing some good."  
  
Natsuna sighed loudly, "I really hate it when people use logic against me." She checked her gun, then turned to him and said, "Please stay down, and try to keep as far away from the windows as you can get, OK?"  
  
"Right," he saluted mockingly, and Natsuna rolled her eyes. He watched her ease the door open and slip outside, trying not to draw attention to herself. He sighed, reached up to gently massage the pain in his chest, and slumped into his chair.  
  
Prince Diamond glared at Sailor Moon. "Let me be the instrument of your vengeance," he said softly to Sailor Nemesis, "let me destroy Sailor Moon."  
  
"Of course," Nemesis smiled, and Diamond started forward. She looked over at the other Senshi, "But I don't like these odds. Lets even things up a bit, shall we?" She raised her staff, spinning it, and for a moment it glowed faintly purple.  
  
"No," Pluto cried out, raising her own staff, "this violates every law!"  
  
With a flash of light and a loud displacement of air a red hared woman in a long gown appeared, looking about her angrily. She seethed with dark power, and when her gaze met the Senshi's her face darkened in hatred.  
  
"Queen Beryl?" Sailor V managed to get past her surprise.  
  
Another burst, and a young man appeared. His skin was an odd, pale green, and his hair was blue, with two pink tufts on each side of his face. His clothing was all black, edged in gold, with a flower on his breast.  
  
"Fiore," Tuxedo Kamen murmured softly.  
  
The air grew chilly, and suddenly white figures twirled and danced across the skies, their numbers swelling by the moment.  
  
"And the Snow Dancers," Natsuna cursed.  
  
Diamond charged, sword swinging, and Sailor moon ducked his blow before pulling off her tiara, "Moon Tiara Magic!" It blazed in her hands, lengthening into a softly glowing sword. She parried another strike, "We don't have to do this."  
  
"Oh, yes we do," Diamond hissed. His white hair gently blew in the breeze, and he smiled charmingly as he added, "Though I'd much rather be fighting you in the bedroom, but I'm afraid that's not possible."  
  
Sailor Moon made a face, "Ewww!"  
  
"Be careful Sailor Moon," Chibi-Usa cried to her, "Prince Diamond is the best among Nemesis' lieutenants."  
  
Pluto leveled her staff, "Dead Scream!"  
  
"Deadly Cry!" Nemesis cried, her own attack meeting Pluto's in mid- air and canceling it out. But before she could recover Pluto was in front of her, her staff locking with hers. Energy crackled around them as they struggled against each other.  
  
"Nemesis didn't die like that," Pluto managed, pushing against the Senshi.  
  
"Liar," Nemesis growled back.  
  
"Fiore's mine," Tuxedo Kamen said simply over her shoulder as she charged towards the confused young man.  
  
"Great, just great," Sailor V grumbled. "Venus Crescent beam!" and she scythed down a flock of Snow Dancers. "Mercury, can your powers control these things?"  
  
"What?" Mercury said, surprised.  
  
"Well, they're made up of ice and snow," Sailor V shrugged, "and that's what you control. It's worth a try."  
  
"Shine Aqua Illusion," Mercury cried, cupping her hands. Power flared, and the Snow Dancers looked startled. The ice making up their bodies began to crumble, pulled towards to Mercury and gathering in the air above her.  
  
"That's incredible," Sailor Jupiter murmured. Then she saw the strain on Mercury's face, and realized that she was pushing her limits. When Mercury swayed a bit, she gently grasped her by the shoulders, receiving a grateful smile.  
  
"My love?" Fiore gasped as Tuxedo Kamen ran at him.  
  
'Great,' Rei thought grimly, 'he doesn't remember what happened before." An idea occurred to her, and instead of attacking him, she sliced the Kisenian flower on his breast.  
  
Fiore howled in pain and surprise, almost as if he and the flower were joined, somehow. Tuxedo Kamen caught him as he fell, but his eyes were clear. "You carry his heart," Fiore said weakly, and Rei nodded in reply.  
  
Sailor Moon parried another blow, then gasped in surprise as Nemesis and Pluto both simply disappeared. "What in the world?" she let her sword fall as she murmured, then she had to quickly raise her blade again.  
  
"Take care of her," Saturn barked as she passed the younger Hotaru to Uranus and Neptune. She raised her glave and ran at Beryl, reasoning that she would have no idea who she was. "Death Ribbon Revolution!"  
  
She was right. Beryl struggled and cursed in her suddenly formed bonds, then she looked up. Her eyes widened as she saw Saturn leap up, and the glave came down at her in one smooth motion.  
  
  
  
"What have you done?" Nemesis demanded, looking around her in surprise.  
  
"We're in the past," Pluto said. She pointed with her staff, "And that is the planet Nemesis."  
  
The blue green world turned slowly beneath them, then they were suddenly descending down through the air to a massive city. It gleamed, crystal towers rising up to the skies, and happy people filled the streets.  
  
"All these people," Nemesis murmured, then her expression hardened, "all dead, because of the Senshi of this time."  
  
"No," Pluto said. The passed invisibly through the city, finally reaching a palace. They recognized the ones in the meeting, Diamond, Sapphire, Emerald and Rubius, and they instantly recognized who they were meeting.  
  
Queen Beryl of the Negaverse.  
  
"The powers protect me," Nemesis murmured softly, her face pale.  
  
It was obvious that the Senshi of Nemesis was arguing with the four, but it was also clear that it wsn't having any effect. She left, finally, her expression deeply troubled even as Diamond firmly shook Beryl's hand.  
  
"The Moon Kingdom didn't betray Nemesis," Pluto said sadly. She watched her fellow Senshi's face as the memories rushed back to her at last, "Nemesis itself withdrew it's power from the Moon Kingdom's defenses, and in the process created the weakness between the worlds that the Negaverse needed to invade."  
  
"To your credit," Pluto added softly, "you opposed the alliance from the start."  
  
Sailor Nemesis bonelessly slid to her knees, clutching her staff. "But why did the Negaverse destroy them, then?" she whispered.  
  
"Crossing into our world required a great deal of energy," Pluto said softly, "so when they arrived here the Negaforce was ravenous. It went for the nearest unprotected source of power it could find: the planet Nemesis."  
  
  
  
"Give it up," Sailor Moon barked, "your allies are defeated and Nemesis has disappeared!" She and Diamond fought back and forth, swords loudly clanging as they strove against each other for the victory. Finally, they were locked together, struggling against each other as they each fought to over power the other.  
  
K-click! Diamond looked sideways and saw a pistol pressed to the side of his head. Natsuna had come up to them silently, while they were focused on each other. "Put the sword down, slowly," she ordered. When he didn't move, Natsuna added, "This gun is loaded with charmed bullets, so if you're counting on some magical invulnerability, I wouldn't advise it."  
  
Diamond lowered the blade, complaining, "This isn't honorable!"  
  
"Neither are we," Sailor Moon smiled before slugging him unconscious.  
  
"Damn," Sailor V swore as both Pluto and Nemesis reappeared before them.  
  
Strangely, Nemesis seemed to need to lean up against Pluto for support, as if all her strength and fury had somehow been sapped from her. Sailor Nemesis raised her staff, and cried out, "Return!" Diamond, Beryl, Fiore and all the remaining Snow Dancers simply disappeared from the battlefield.  
  
Haruka noticed that the two sisters were still there. "Where did they come from?" she asked the others.  
  
"They were recruited from this era," Nemesis said quietly. She stepped away from Pluto to walk towards Sailor Moon. The other Senshi quickly gathered to protect her, but Nemesis merely stopped and said, "I'm sorry."  
  
Saturn leveled her glave at Nemesis even as she asked Pluto, "What's going on here?" Behind her, Uranus and Neptune came up, holding the child Hotaru in their arms.  
  
Pluto raised her hands, trying to calm her down, "When she was reborn, her memories were clouded. She thought that the Moon Kingdom was responsible for the death of her people." She met Nemesis' eyes, "She was wrong."  
  
"Sorry isn't enough," Chibi-Moon spoke up. "What about all the people she hurt in the future?" she asked.  
  
"I agree," Nemesis surprised them. "But what punishment would be fitting?"  
  
"I think I have an idea," Pluto said.  
  
  
  
"So Nemesis is guarding the Gates of Time," Makoto said softly, "forever?"  
  
"Not forever," Setsuna sighed, "but near enough as it makes little difference."  
  
They reached the part together, taking a moment looking out at the water before rejoining their friends. Makoto's face lit up as she saw Ami, so Setsuna discretely stepped away to give them some privacy.  
  
Haruka and Michiru sat together, and the younger Hotaru sat beside them. After the battle they had all ventured inside to find Professor Tomoe dead of a heart attack. Strangely, the older Hotaru took it the worst, sobbing against Chibi-Usa, while the younger remained calm.  
  
Rei and Usagi stood together talking to Chibi-Usa. "I almost wish I didn't have to go," admitted the pink hared teen. She sighed, "But I need to be sure everyone's all right."  
  
"We'll miss you," Usagi sniffled, then she burst into tears,  
  
"Write, or something," Rei said to her, a few tears in her own eyes.  
  
"I'll try," Chibi-Usa sniffled too. Hotaru walked over after saying her own good-byes, gently wrapping her arm around her shoulder.  
  
"We'd better go before we decide to say," Hotaru said gently.  
  
Chibi-Usa nodded, "You're right." She looked around at Minako, Ami, Natsuna, and others, "We'll meet again, I promise." She raised the Time Key, and both young woman were surrounded by a wash of pink light, then they were gone.  
  
  
  
"Everything's back," Hotaru smiled, looking around them at the shining city of Crystal Tokyo. It's gleaming towers stretched unbroken to the sky, and the people they met cried out their joyful welcomes.  
  
They ran down the crowded streets, eventually reaching the hill of the Palace. They slowed a bit, seeing that a crowd awaited them. Rei and Usagi stood together, the King and Queen of Crystal Tokyo, and all around them the Senshi stood. Sailor Venus stood by Natsuna, while Mercury and Jupiter stood nearby. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto waited, each one wearing a matching golden ring. Luna stood by her lady, while Artemis and his bride stood nearby.  
  
Two young women ran forward, each one's forms shifting to a cat's as Serena leapt up on Hotaru's shoulder as Diana settled on Chibi-Usa.  
  
"Welcome home," Usagi smiled, wrapping her arms around her daughter.  
  
  
  
"I'm really going to miss her," Usagi sniffled. Rei slipped an arm around her shoulders, patting her gently.  
  
Natsuna stepped up beside them, "Look out."  
  
"What?" Rei asked, and something small and pink dropped out of the sky on top of her!  
  
"I'm sorry," the thirteen year old girl exclaimed, climbing off the two of them. She paused, "Usagi-mama? Rei-papa?"  
  
"Chibi-Usa?" Usagi gasped out. It was obviously the same person, but much younger.  
  
Hotaru looked around Haruka's legs at the pink hared young girl. Chibi-Usa noticed, and both of them seemed to freeze. "Who are you?" Hotaru asked her.  
  
"Chibi-Usa," she answered, seemingly lost in the other girl's gaze.  
  
"There's a note pinned to her back," Ami said. She carefully detached the note, looking it over. "It certainly looks like Usagi's writing," Ami sighed as she tried to figure it out.  
  
Usagi snatched it from Ami's hands and began to read, "Please take care of my daughter. I know that you and the others will help train her to be a good Senshi. When you send her home to visit, please include Mako- chan's cookies."  
  
"Sounds like Usagi," Rei sighed.  
  
"Hey!" Usagi protested.  
  
The End... for now. 


	20. Outers: House Hunting

The Outers: House Hunting...  
  
Once they got back in Tokyo, Haruka and Michiru sat together on the park bench watching the Inners, and Hotaru sat there beside them. Setsuna excused herself from her talk with Ami and the others and walked over to where they were sitting.  
  
"Hotaru," Setsuna smiled at the young girl, "your father asked us to take care of you. Is that all right?"  
  
The dark haired girl nodded solemnly, "I guess so." Hotaru looked up at her curiously and asked, "Where am I going to live now?"  
  
There was a moment of silence, as the three Outers exchanged a glance. Obviously, they had not really considered that. "With us and Setsuna in the apartment," Haruka said, but there was an odd look on her face.  
  
"What?" Michiru asked.  
  
"It's only two bedrooms," Setsuna murmured.  
  
"I'm sure we'll manage," Haruka said optimistically.  
  
A few hours later the sun had set and a softly snoring Hotaru lay in the middle of Setsuna's large bed, sound asleep. It had been a long day for the young girl, and playing with her new friend Chibi-Usa had taken up a lot of it.  
  
Across the hallway, however, things weren't going as well.  
  
"Watch the hands, Tenoh," Setsuna sighed as the three of them tried in vain to get comfortable. It was a double bed, but three people were a bit too much for it.  
  
"It wasn't me," Haruka protested indignantly. She was being pushed all the way to the side of the bed, Michiru laying in the middle, Setsuna on the other side.  
  
"Sorry," a faintly blushing Michiru murmured, "I think that was my fault." A pause, and "I though that... part belonged to Haruka."  
  
Haruka chuckled softly.  
  
"Don't say a word," Setsuna growled.  
  
"I wouldn't think of it," Haruka answered, a smile evident in her voice.  
  
Setsuna sighed and tried to roll over, managing to roll right off the double bed onto the hard floor with a loud thump.  
  
'I didn't think Setsuna knew that kind of language,' Michiru thought with a chuckle. "Setsuna, remember we have a child here," she scolded her gently.  
  
'This is going to be a long night,' Haruka thought to herself as Setsuna awkwardly climbed back up on the bed.  
  
The next day they were having a Senshi meeting at Rei's temple, and the Inners were mildly surprised to see the three Outers looking so.. poorly. Haruka's hair was boyishly styled as usual, but cowlicks badly disrupted the look. Michiru had skipped her makeup, and Setsuna had little bits of hair standing straight up. Not to mention the bags under all their eyes.  
  
"Is there some new menace coming?" Luna asked worriedly. The dark haired woman sat slightly apart, the two kittens cradled in her lap.  
  
"Do we need to start preparing?" Usagi asked seriously.  
  
Rei came in carrying the tray of tea, and all three Outers grasped their cups like they were their salvation. "Wow," she murmured before settling down at Usagi's side. The blonde gave her a grateful smile, reaching out to take Rei's hand.  
  
"Sorry, there's no menace coming," Michiru drank her tea gratefully, "we just didn't get much sleep last night."  
  
"Is Hotaru adjusting all right?" Makoto asked worriedly. Chibi-Usa and Hotaru ran by the open screen playing tag, obviously enjoying themselves.  
  
"She's adjusting fine," Setsuna sighed wearily, "but Haruka snores."  
  
"I do not," Haruka protested. "Michiru, you tell them," she pleaded with her lover.  
  
"Haruka does not snore," Michiru said with great dignity, quietly adding, "much."  
  
"Gee, thanks," Haruka sighed.  
  
Minako chuckled softly, "You mean you three are...?"  
  
"No," Setsuna frowned. "We're sharing a bed because of space constraints, nothing more," she said defensively.  
  
Sitting beside Minako, Natsuna grinned, "That must have been fun."  
  
"Not quite," Michiru sighed.  
  
"I think we're going to have to look for a larger place," Haruka admitted.  
  
"I'll get the newspapers," Rei volunteered, going over to see her grandfather. In a few minutes they were all pouring over the papers, checking out vacancies.  
  
"Why are all the adult adds in this paper circled?" Ami asked tentatively.  
  
"I try not to think about it," a sweatdropping Rei answered.  
  
"Eww!" the others chorused.  
  
Not too long afterward they had assembled a list of good possibilities, and started calling around for appointments to see the various suites. Once prepared, Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna and Hotaru were off.  
  
Haruka looked up at the small building thoughtfully, "I guess this is the place." She rang the doorbell, and waited.  
  
The door opened and a dark haired girl smiled up at them happily, "Hello. I'm Yomiko Readaman." She turned inside to yell, "Nancy, they're here!" She carefully pushed her glasses up while casually using her foot to push a teetering pile of books back up. "The rooms are back this way," she said cheerfully.  
  
Setsuna looked around wide eyed as they carefully navigated a hallway lined with piles of books. Fiction, non-fiction, manga, they were scattered all about.  
  
"Wow," Hotaru exclaimed.  
  
Yomiko forced a door open, revealing... piles off books. "I'm using this for storage," she said cheerfully, "but I'm sure we can put the books elsewhere. There's three rooms, unfurnished, and you can use Nancy's and my kitchen upstairs."  
  
"Thank you very much for showing us the suite," Michiru blinked.  
  
Setsuna sighed, "We'll seriously consider it."  
  
A dark haired woman waited at the door, wearing a zippered leather jumpsuit. "Did you clean the rooms out?" she ask Yomiko with a smile.  
  
"I'm sorry, Nancy, but I really didn't have a chance," Yomiko blushed.  
  
"Sorry, folks," Nancy sighed, putting her arm around Yomiko's shoulder. "If you want to come back later, we'll try to have the rooms empty," she smiled.  
  
"Maybe next time," Haruka shrugged.  
  
The four of them got into the car and were off to the next one. The pink haired teen smiled at them cheerfully when they rang the bell. "Hi, I'm Utena Tenjou," she shook their hands.  
  
The house was two levels, the top floors two bedrooms, the bottom three. As Utena explained it, she and her schoolmate were renting the top floor rooms, and they needed someone else to rent the bottom floor suite.  
  
"Is you're roommate here?" Michiru asked.  
  
Just then a high pitched voice squealed, "Utena-sama!" A flying Wakaba hit her back, sending them both crashing to the ground. She smiled up at the four of them cheerfully, "Hello."  
  
"I don't think I could stand that sort of thing on a regular basis," Setsuna sighed to the others.  
  
"Now what are we going to do?" Utena complained once they all left. The doorbell rang again, and she saw three other women standing there.  
  
"I'm Juri, these are my friends Shiori and Anthy," Juri smiled, "we saw your ad. for the rooms. Are they still available?"  
  
"Where to next?" Michiru asked.  
  
Next, it seemed, was the home of a Miss Miyuki. The girl opened the door, and Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna gaped at the red leather clad woman hanging off the girl. She gave them a sultry smile, while Miyuki sweatdropped.  
  
From inside a woman in a furry catsuit cried out, "Miyuki-chan, we're waiting."  
  
"Neat," Hotaru laughed.  
  
Haruka reached out and closed the door, firmly.  
  
"What was wrong with that one?" Hotaru was still complaining as they drove to the next place. Setsuna had picked it by simply closing her eyes, extending a finger, and jabbing down randomly on their list of possibilities.  
  
The house on the edge of town was settled on a plot of green, large enough for them all with plenty of room to spare. A short conversation with the owner later and the agreement was made. They could move in after only a few days.  
  
"How do you do it?" Haruka asked, looking at Setsuna in awe.  
  
"It's a gift," Setsuna shrugged.  
  
"At least that's over," Michiru sighed.  
  
"Not quite," Setsuna sighed. They both looked at her in surprise, "One, we still have to share a bed for the next few days, and two," Setsuna blushed, "the leather lady slipped me her phone number." She bashfully held up the slip of paper.  
  
Author's Notes  
  
Earlier, I mentioned that Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna were sharing a small apartment. With Hotaru suddenly appearing in their lives, it occurred to me that sleeping arrangements might be a problem.  
  
Not to mention house hunting...  
  
Yomiko and Nancy are from Read or Die. Yes, Yomiko's home is really like that! Utena, Wakaba, Juri, Shiori and Anthy are from Revolutionary Girl Utena Miyuki-chan and friends are from Miyuki-chan in Wonderland 


	21. Meet the Parents!

Meet the Parents  
  
"I'm really sorry about this, Mako-chan," they heard Ami say as she and Makoto walked in to the room together.  
  
"It's not your fault," Makoto smiled down at her gently.  
  
They were planning on doing a study buddies and scout meeting combo tonight, so the three Outers, Natsuna and Minako were all there along with Rei and Usagi sitting around the table. Artemis was there, which meant that Luna and the kittens were staying home at Usagi's, sadly. Minako and Natsuna, having both graduated, were often consulted for help with tests, along with the three Outers, but Ami was the admitted expert. They couldn't really start studying until she arrived, and they were all mildly startled by her late arrival.  
  
"What's wrong, Ami?" Michiru asked curiously. She kept a cautious eye on what was happening outside, where Chibi-Usa and Hotaru were playing together.  
  
Ami looked up cautiously at Makoto, who just smiled and shrugged helplessly. Ami took a deep breath before saying, "I sort of mentioned Makoto to my Mother, and before I knew it my Mom had invited her to dinner!"  
  
Natsuna raised her eyebrow thoughtfully as she looked up at them, "Does she know about you two being...?"  
  
Ami blushed fiercely, "No."  
  
"That could be awkward," Haruka admitted.  
  
"Are you going to tell her?" Michiru tilted her head to the side curiously.  
  
Ami blew her breath out nervously, "I don't know."  
  
Makoto gently took Ami's hand in hers, "You know I don't mind."  
  
"I'm just not sure how my mother would take it," Ami looked down at the table with a soft sigh. She looked worried, "What if she forbids me to see Makoto?"  
  
"Once she meets Makoto," Minako said comfortingly, "I'm sure she'll like her, Ami."  
  
Natsuna smirked, "Remember when I met your parents?"  
  
Minako sighed softly, "OK, that didn't go well." Everyone looked over at her curiously, so she elaborated, "My father all but accused her of corrupting a minor. My poor mom just sat there, very, very quietly."  
  
"Did they ever come around?" Ami asked, looking rather white.  
  
"Actually, yes," Natsuna smiled. "Once they figured out that Minako and I were serious, they began to accept me into the family," she shrugged.  
  
"Hope things go that well for us," Rei reached out to gently take Usagi's hand.  
  
A completely unruffled Setsuna smiled slightly, "So tonight's the night you present Usagi to your Grandfather?"  
  
"What?" Ami looked over at them in surprise.  
  
Rei blushed, "I sort of blurted out to my Grandfather that I'm interested in girls. He wants to meet my girlfriend to see if he approves!"  
  
Makoto had a slight smile on her face as she looked at the blushing Rei and Usagi, "And he doesn't know it's Usagi?"  
  
"She wanted to ask me before she told," Usagi took Rei's hand in her own.  
  
"At least he knows," Haruka smiled. She looked slyly over at Michiru, "We just sort of sprung our relationship on Michiru's mom."  
  
"I think we were more surprised by what happened than she was," Michiru chuckled.  
  
"What happened?" Usagi asked eagerly.  
  
"We'd been trying to tell her a few times," Haruka smiled, "but we never seemed to time it right. She had company, was just going out, or something else happened."  
  
"Finally, we get her there, alone, and we sat down in the living room to have some tea. And all the while I'm trying to figure out how to say it," Michiru was blushing faintly.  
  
"So Michiru finally sits forward and blurts out, 'Haruka and I are lovers, Mother.' She calmly sits there drinking her tea," and Haruka mimes the motion, "and says, 'Of course, dear. I saw that the first time you brought her over.' And the two of us looked at each other dumbfounded."  
  
"She was just waiting for us to tell her," Michiru sighed.  
  
"Just like my parents," Haruka nodded. "I think they already had their suspicions, but my bringing home Michiru pretty much confirmed it. Not that there haven't been a few bumps in the road," and Haruka reached over to take Michiru's hand, "but I think it's been worth it."  
  
Ami took a deep breath, "Let's just hope things go well."  
  
"Your mother loves you," Artemis said to Ami quietly, "and I'm sure that she wants you to be happy." A smile, "Just help her understand that Makoto is the one who does that."  
  
Makoto nodded, "Artemis is right, Ami."  
  
The meeting broke up soon after, the various ladies going their separate ways. Chibi-Usa had asked to spend the night with Hotaru, so Usagi decided to save time and stayed at the temple with Rei. The dinner was in about half an hour, so Usagi asked Rei's permission to go use her room to change out of her school uniform.  
  
Rei herself picked something comforting out to wear, a pair of dark pants and white shirt. It felt good, almost like she was Tuxedo Kamen, and it gave her a burst of strength. 'I just hope I won't need it," Rei thought.  
  
"I'm ready," Usagi slid the screen aside, and Rei's breath caught in her throat. The white dress shimmered in the sunlight, hugging a slim form while leaving shoulders bare. A bit of make up, and a simple necklace finished her clothes.  
  
"You're beautiful," was all that Rei could manage.  
  
Usagi smiled, looking much less perfect as she said, "And you're handsome tonight."  
  
Rei gently took Usagi's arm, "Let's go." They walked to where Rei knew her Grandfather would be waiting for them, and tapped on the frame gently.  
  
Grandfather slid the screen aside and looked at them gravely, "Yes?"  
  
"Grandpa," Rei smiled, gently drawing Usagi into his line of sight, "I'd like you to meet my lover, Usagi Tsukino."  
  
"I hope I'm not too disappointing," Usagi smiled tentatively.  
  
Grandfather surprised them with a broad smile, "I'm not disappointed at all, I'm glad." He lead them inside, "I thought I saw something between you when we first met..."  
  
Across the city Ami looked up at the clock worriedly. 'She'll be here soon,' Ami thought to herself nervously. She took a breath and checked her clothes in the mirror. The white shirt, vest, and blue pants hadn't changed in the five minutes since she had checked them last.  
  
"You look fine, Ami," her Mom caught her checking. She smiled at her gently, "I don't think I've seen you this nervous before. Are you worried about my meeting your friend?"  
  
"Sort of," Ami admitted.  
  
"I'm just glad you're having a friend over," her Mother said quietly, and Ami looked up at her in surprise. She took her glasses off, pushing her hair back, "I'm not the most sociable of people, and I was scared I rubbed off on you."  
  
"No, I have good friends," Ami smiled up at her Mom, silently adding, 'at least since I met Usagi and the others.'  
  
"And Makoto," Ami's Mother asked casually, "is she a very dear friend?"  
  
"Yes," Ami answered her without thinking.  
  
Ami's eyes widened as her Mother beamed, crushing her in a hug as she exclaimed, "I knew it! Oh, Ami, I'm so happy for you!"  
  
Ami looked up at her Mother in disbelief as she squeaked, "You're not mad?"  
  
"Of course not!" Mother smiled happily.  
  
"You don't seem very surprised," Ami managed to get out.  
  
"I'm not," her Mother actually smirked. "You never dated, you dress so boyish, and most importantly you've mentioned your friend Makoto in almost every second sentence for weeks," she pointed out. "The first two might have just been because you're a good girl, but not the third one," she nodded firmly.  
  
Before Ami could say anything, the doorbell rang. "That must be Makoto," Ami said, as she and her mother got the door.  
  
"Welcome to our home," Ami's Mother smiled.  
  
"Thank you for having me," Makoto bowed. The three of them walked into the living room, Ami and Makoto sitting together on the couch while Ami's mom went to get refreshments.  
  
"She knows," Ami managed to whisper to Makoto while she was gone.  
  
Before Makoto could answer Ami's Mom came back in with a tray, giving them each a glass of soda and leaving snacks on the table beside them.  
  
"So, how long have you and Ami been dating?" Mom asked with a grin, nearly making poor Makoto spit out her drink with surprise.  
  
Swallowing with difficulty Makoto managed to get out, "A few months."  
  
Ami tried hard not to laugh as she though, 'This is going to be an interesting evening.' 


	22. Before Altered Destinies and Final Notes

Author's Notes: Found this on my hard drive recently. This is my first version of the 'Tuxedo Mask possesses someone to save Sailor Moon' story, from when I was a big fan of the English dub. My first impulse was just to erase it, but instead I'm putting this up for the amusement value, as well as an example on how a fairly lame story can still have a few good ideas in it. I hope you find some enjoyment in it.  
  
It's set at the end of the Doom Tree storyline...  
  
Sailor Moon: Altered Destinies Version 0.1  
  
"I am dying, Sailor Moon" the Moonlight Knight gasped, his body begining to dissolve into white light, "and Darien is too far away to join us together. I must find another..." In a moment, he had dissolved into sparkling light and was gone.  
  
In the hallway, Molly ran towards the disturbance, having seen her friend Serena go into the building. As she neared the door she was engulfed in the shining light." You," she heard in her mind, a warm, kind voice "you too care for her. Take my power and protect her ,for all our tomorrows..." and then she fell to the ground unconscious.  
  
Breaking up with Melvin had been hard, but with everything that had been going on lately, she didn't see much choice. The blackouts had been bad enough, but the dreams she was having had really took the cake. In her dreams she was male! And romancing Serena! Not too mention the dreams of a vaguely European world where she danced with Serena's look alike. In comparison, it was as if all she had felt for Melvin had been a pale shadow.  
  
As Molly walked by the video store, she saw the TV report on Sailor Moon's new ally, the tuxedo dressed heroine, and felt a strange recognition...  
  
Suddenly, Molly felt like she was going to have a blackout again, but this time she fought the sensation! She struggled on until the feelings changed, and a crystalline clarity washed over her. She knew, now, what had happened: she was now Sailor Moon's protector as Tuxedo Mask, the reborn prince, and had also inherited the feelings and affections of her past self.  
  
Molly ducked into a deserted alley and willed the change, feeling her clothes shift and flow into a form fitting tuxedo, cape and mask, then she leapt across the rooftops. From then, it was like she was in a dream, casting the roses at her foes, using her speed and strength to buy Sailor Moon time to strike their enemy down.  
  
"Who are you?" Sailor Moon asked, grabbing Tuxedo Mask by the arm. Molly was surprised Sailor Moon didn't recognize her, and even more surprised to realize she knew who Sailor Moon and friends were.  
  
"This isn't the best place to discuss it, Sailor Moon." Tuxedo Mask answered her calmly. "Follow me, and I'll tell you." Pulling free, she led them a merry chase across the city rooftops, finally stopping in the small forest behind Raye's temple.  
  
"Why did you pick here to talk?" Sailor Moon asked, looking very nervous. Molly smiled mysteriously as her cape flowing around her in the breeze, letting them sweat for a moment, then relented. Closing her eyes, she allowed the transformation to was over her again. "Molly?!" Sailor Moon cried out, shocked.  
  
Molly laughed softly, answering "It's good to see you too, Serena. Hi Lita, Mina, Amy and Raye. Before you all panic, there's a good reason that I know who you all are." Then, Molly quietly explained what had happened to her. After mulling it over, the Scouts returned to normal and headed into the temple to talk.  
  
Mina looked speculatively at Molly and asked, "You have Tuxedo Masks powers and memories right?" Molly nodded in answer, and Mina continued, "Did you get anything else from him?" with a slightly evil smile. Molly blushed brightly and Mina realized she had hit pay dirt.  
  
The other scouts noticed as well and were all paying very close attention, except for Amy, who looked slightly embarrassed. Molly looked at the eager girls and sighed, resigned. "Yes," Molly admitted, "I also seem to have his feelings, but I have absolutely no plans to act on 'em." Raye looked almost sympathetic, and the others provided their consolations, all except Serena, who was giving Molly the oddest look. A short time later, after Serena had gone out for some air, Molly followed her outside. "Serena, it's all right," Molly said, "things don't have to be different between us." Serena looked at her with a very anguished expression, and Molly held her close. "I'm sorry," Molly said with a choked voice, "I'll leave you alone."  
  
Serena stopped her, and looked up into her eyes as she said, "Darien and I broke up for good a few weeks ago, and now I look at you, and see how much of what I loved was the Prince, Tuxedo Mask. The way you move, the toss of you head, the attitude, it's all there, and I don't have the slightest idea what to do about it." Molly smiled down to her, tempted to take advantage, but she stopped herself.  
  
"Serena," she said, "this isn't the time for you to make any decisions. You've just had a shock and need time to deal with it. Heck, I'm still trying to deal with it!" she said with a smile. "You're my friend, and I don't want to do anything to change that."  
  
Sailor Moon: Altered Destinies Series  
  
Author's Notes: this story is not entirely my fault, just mostly. ^_^ ;;  
  
I was reading a Setsuna story over on www.Dreiser.net, called "Time Waits", where as an aside the idea of an alternate world's Rei becoming Tuxedo Kamen and then winning Usagi was mentioned. I really liked that idea, so I sort of filed it away in part of my brain until I had a story line that could fit it, and here you go.  
  
It also derives from a really, really bad "Molly becomes Tuxedo Mask" story that I wrote when I was much younger and had little or no taste! I've posted that as "Before Altered Destinies" for the amusement value. ^_^  
  
The story for "Secret of Tuxedo Kamen!" is based loosely around the Sailor Moon R movie, with some changes. The "loneliness" theme of the movie really didn't work so well here, so I just kinda dropped it...  
  
A very astute reader (Dreiser herself, actually) asked me what happened to the Outers in my world. I'm addressing that a bit in Part One, chapter two, and also in the interlude "Now and then" as well as in Part Two, "Cold Snap!"  
  
So why did I only feature Sailor Moon, Sailor V, and Tuxedo Kamen to start with? It had to be an AU fiction anyway, so why not play around a bit with the mix of characters. Yes, indeed, I happily killed Endymion/ Darrien off, mostly because cape boy really, really irritates me. Sorry, but I just can't seem to help it.  
  
In this alternate history, Sailor V likely stayed an active super hero, and didn't drop out of sight like she did before the start of the Sailor Moon series. She started her career at around 13 years old and first met Sailor Pluto when she was 15 years old. At the beginning of "Secret" she's older than Usagi, about 25 years old, and is in a married relationship with Sakurada Natsuna, who she first met in the series "Codename: Sailor V", and whom later turned up in the early episodes of Sailor Moon. They probably got 'married' and moved in together when Minako was 18 years old. See my "Codename Sailor V" Prelude chapter for more details on that part of her life.  
  
Jad (a.k.a. Jedite), likely stepped too near the sacred fire over at Rei's shrine and the kami of the place did the rest. Sailor Pluto and the Moonlight Knight also wiped out most of the old Generals in the first Interlude story "Now and Then."  
  
So why did Sailor Pluto allow the "power loss" to occur in Rei, Ami, and Makoto? Because any alternative she foresaw was likely worse. Allow them to lose their powers or they would end up dead, probably. My favorite bit in the first interlude is when Pluto marches into Beryl's headquarters to bargain with her. It's just such a "Puu" thing to do...  
  
Cold Snap!: After ripping off Sailor Moon R for my first series, I decided to use the Sailor Moon S movie as the basis for my second storyline. An "Outers meets Inners" story, with bits from the TV series as well. The arcade sequence is from the show, with some tweaking on my part. The Rei/Usagi romance continues onward, with a few speed bumps tossed in. When I first saw the Sailor Moon S Movie, I noticed there was a strong resemblance between the man who saves Luna from a car crash and Haruka, so I decided to combine their roles, sort of.  
  
I'll be leaving some plot threads open to continue into volume three, which I'm planning to call "The Timelost". As you can probably guess, Chibi- Usa and Hotaru will be making an appearance. I'm also planing another 'Outers' adventure based around the Heart Snatchers...  
  
The Heart Snatchers episode: the Outers have always been shown as being more ruthless than Sailor Moon, so I thought I'd touch on that. The idea of them so efficiently stopping Prof. Tomoe is realistic, I think, though you'd never see it in the anime. The season would have ended far too soon! The three Talismans summoning Sailor Saturn is taken from the manga, not the anime series.  
  
The Timelost!: My twist on the original Chibi-Usa storyline. It always struck me as strange that the Senshi of time didn't play a larger role in that story, like stopping the bad guys from time traveling, so I thought I'd touch on that. Introducing Nemesis explained all that nicely, I thought. Also wanted to deal with the Outers being active in the future. The idea of Chibi-Usa coming about because of a creative use of the disguise pen is not my idea, instead I swiped it from one of any number of different lemons I've ran into.  
  
The Preludes: They started when I wanted to do a Sailor V story about her and Natsuna, but I couldn't see where to fit it in a "flashback" sequence. So why not do a special prelude episode? Then the idea of doing a comic take on Sailor Moon's first episode hit me, and I was off. Most of the material in the Preludes is derived from the first season episodes, working from the assumption that only Sailor Moon and Sailor V had powers.  
  
So am I planning to continue the series? Well, yes and no. I don't plan on doing any more of the big four part story arcs again, but I might have a few one shots or two parters to do. The Outers: 'House Hunting' story is the first of these mini-stories.  
  
'Meet the Parents' comes from a little throwaway comment in an earlier episode. Rei had mentioned to Usagi that her Grandfather knew that she was gay, and that he wanted to meet Rei's girlfriend. Mix that with the Ami/Makoto romance, and a chapter was born!  
  
I don't know how realistic Ami's Mom taking Ami being gay was, honestly. We see very little of Dr. Mizuno is the series, so I don't think I'm violating any of her appearances. My take on her is probably also influenced by Crawlspace's fic, "Cruelty and Fairness of Fate." 


End file.
